The Rising Dragon Champions
by darkfire1220
Summary: *Sequel to, "The Lost Dragon Slayer"* Natsu has finally returned home from Edolas, and now Fairy Tail is starting the big event at the end of each year- the S-Class Trials! Everybody's all fired up, but a catastrophic event during the trials sends them all into a deadly cycle that will end in more than one life lost..and leave the Dragon Slayers on the brink of losing everything...
1. The S-Class Trials

_**Finally! I can get started on my favorite parts of the series! This is going to be a wild ride, so get ready! Fights, mysteries, romance(better than the Lost Dragon Slayer, promise!), I'm packing it all, so as always, Thanks for reading!**_

**Note- I've gone back and changed the text layout so it's easier to read. I will do this for all my chapters that have huge paragraphs, but it will take some time, so be patient. In addition, there will likely be some minor changes or additions to some of the scenes, like extra parts to battles.**

**Also, I know that my updating for the Reborn Oracion Seis Arc is slow, but I will likely begin updating at my normal speed either today or tomorrow. Also, you SHOULD read it! It will have great relevance once I get back into making new chapters for this story!**

**-Darkfire1220**

_Chapter 1: The S-Class Trials_

Under a shaded canopy of trees, a young man lay on the grassy earth a little ways away from a lake. Everything was still in a calm serenity, the passing breeze being the only change in the environment. The young man didn't react to anything, even the stag that seemed to melt out of the forest and walk to the lake for a drink, it's nose breaking the tension on the water to create small ripples. He stared up at the sky, his eyes covered by a spiky mess of black hair, and sighed.

"…What a lonely looking sky…"

**/**

"Waaaah! There's nothing like enjoying the comforts of your own home!" Lucy sighed. She was enjoying the shower, to say the least. _Another great day…this is the life! _she thought happily.

About one week had passed since the Edolas incident. In the following days since Natsu's return, it had been one big party after the other, although Sting and Lisanna had dragged him away from the action a couple of days later when things quieted down to get him some new clothes and other necessities.

Natsu now wore a black, long-sleeve jacket with gold edges that exposed his right arm from the shoulder down, as well as his red Fairy Tail mark(which had to be put on again since he had erased it during his time in Edolas). His characteristic scaled-white scarf was wrapped around the open collar of his jacket. He wore a black waistcoat, also with gold edges, over baggy white trousers that stopped just below the knee, both held up by a light brown belt, as well as black, open toed sandals. There was a thick black wristband on his right arm.

Lucy could see the difference his coming back had made on Sting and Lisanna- the both of them looked happier than she could ever remember them being, even though she'd only been in Fairy Tail for about six months.

Speaking of Sting, she hadn't had a real conversation with him for a while. Natsu's little stunt on the following day of his return had made both of them uncomfortable around each other, though Natsu _did _apologize sincerely to her later(Apparently not to his brother, though. He said something about payback for all the games Sting played years earlier with him and Lisanna). Lucy hadn't really minded, it was Fairy Tail; it wouldn't be home to her if things weren't crazy from time to time.

It did frustrate her that Sting was avoiding the issue, though. He wouldn't even talk about it, and looked decidedly uneasy whenever the other members of the guild teased him about it. Lucy shook her head, what was wrong with her? He'd get over it eventually, and it wasn't like he was totally unhappy. Sure, it bothered her to see him upset like that, but what could she do? Something clicked in her head. _Maybe Natsu knows something. I'll ask him tomorrow, _she decided.

Having put that past her, she stretched in the warm water of the shower and sighed again, "Could this get any better?"

"Not really. You've got a great place." a voice remarked.

Lucy replied without even thinking, "Isn't it? Wait…Ehhhhh?!"

She spun around and saw Cana sitting in the tub behind her, looking a little gloomy, "Maybe I should come live here." Her sudden appearance shocked Lucy, but she turned the water off and sat in the tub across from Cana. The card mage wrapped her arms around her knees. "Do you usually fit two people in the bath?" she asked.

"Well, do you usually barge into other people's houses?" Lucy shot back. Cana snorted and sighed. Lucy tilted her head to the side, "What's wrong? If something's bothering you, I'm all ears."

Cana stood up out of the water and looked to the side. "I'm…thinking about leaving the guild…" she murmured.

Lucy stared at her for a moment. "Eh….EHHHHHHHH?!"

**/**

"…and that's what she said, Mira!" Lucy said urgently.

Mira just smiled apologetically, "It's okay, Cana always says that around this time."

The Spirit Mage was confused, "'This time?' What does that mean?" she asked slowly. Mira laughed and answered, "You'll see tomorrow."

"Work, work, work!"

Sting and Lector flew towards the bar with a job in their hands. Sting slapped it on the bar and said, "Mira! I'm going on this job!"

Mira nodded, "Okay, then!"

The White Dragon and his red exceed spun around and raced for the door. Lucy tried to stop them, "Hey, wait! If you're going on a job, let me go too!"

Sting flashed her a grin, all nervousness forgotten, "Sorry! I'm going alone while this is happening-gah!" He ran headfirst into Gray, who was running in the opposite direction. They both fell down and then got back up in each other's faces.

Sting bared his fangs, "Watch where you're going, you damn ice cube!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth, flashlight!" Gray retorted.

Lector flew between the two of them, "Quit arguing! You two don't have time for this!"

The fighting mages looked shocked and replied in unison, "Dammit, you're right!" The White Dragon flew out the door while Gray grabbed a job off the request board.

The Ice Mage ran back to Mira with it, "I'm back!"

Mira noted the job and smiled at him, "Welcome back. How was the job?"

"No time for that! I gotta go!" Gray shot out the door.

Lucy stared after them, then at some others in the guild. Several members were just messing around, not really paying attention to the frantic mages running about.

Suddenly, she heard steel clash and saw Natsu, Erza, and Pantherlily going at it in a three-way sword fight. She was surprised how evenly matched they were, though it was obvious Erza and Lily had a bit more experience using a sword than Natsu did. He kept up well though, and eventually they separated for a moment.

"That's enough for now!" Erza barked.

Lily reverted back to his small form and put the huge broadsword to the side, "Seems I can only stay in my original body for a short time."

Erza shook her head with a smile, "But you're swordsmanship is superb, I haven't seen someone as skilled as you in a long time. And you Natsu! It's hard to believe you've only been using a sword for less than two years. You've grown up, haven't you?"

The Salamander rested Igneo's point on the floor and leaned on it, wiping his brow as he replied, "I'd like to think so, but you and Lily are still better than I am."

The black exceed smirked, "Not for much longer against me, I think. Erza might give you more of a challenge. I suppose I should say, 'as expected of Erza.'"

Natsu grinned at him, "Right?"

The three started laughing as Lucy watched with a confused expression. She turned back to Mira, "There are some people going nuts, and others that are just doing the usual. I can't make heads or tails of it."

Mira giggled to herself, "Like I said, you'll see tomorrow." Lucy shrugged and left the bar as a crowd of people harassed Mira so they could go on jobs.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The next day, a huge crowd packed the inside of Fairy Tail. Lucy walked up next to Lisanna and Yukino, and looked around. "What's going on here? And what's behind the stage?" she asked as she realized the stage was covered by a curtain.

Yukino shook her head, "I don't know. Lisanna won't tell me."

Lisanna smiled, "You'll see in a minute; don't rush it."

Lucy saw Sting standing beside Natsu, Happy, and Lector a few feet away. The White Dragon's eyes were all over the place and flashing with excitement.

Happy smirked, "Sting, you can't even stay still."

"He can't help it with this going on." Natsu said with a grin.

Then the curtains lifted.

Makarov, Erza, Mira, Gildarts, and Ur stood on the stage. The crowd started to cheer.

"Master!"

"Tell us already!"

"Who is it this year?!"

Lucy blinked, "Who? What's that mean?"

Makarov cleared his throat for silence before speaking, "Fairy Tail! As we have done in years past, I will now announce the names of those participating in the S-Class promotion trials!"

The crowd bellowed in excitement.

Lucy was shocked, "S-Class promotion trials?!"

Sting cracked his knuckles and bared his fangs, "I'm all fired up!"

"Hey! That's MY line!" Natsu growled.

Makarov held a fist out at the crowd, "Your hearts, minds, and souls! I have judged them all this past year. There will be eight participants!"

The crowd roared.

"Sting Eucliffe!"

The White Dragon hissed in satisfaction, "Hell, yes!"

Lector and Happy high-fived while Natsu grinned, "Good job."

"Gray Fullbuster!"

The Ice Mage smirked, "Good."

"Rogue Cheney!"

The Shadow Dragon raised an eyebrow in surprise, but said nothing.

"Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia was startled, "Eh? Juvia is participating?"

"Elfman Strauss!"

The Take-Over mage roared, "Men should become S-Class!"

Lisanna cheered for him, "Good luck, Elfman!"

"Cana Alberona!"

Everyone congratulated her, but Cana didn't look very happy about it. Lucy stared at her, confused. _Maybe this is why she wants to leave…_she wondered.

"Levy MacGarden!"

The short girl bounced on her heels, "Me, finally!"

Jet and Droy danced in unison, "It's Levy!"

"Freed Justine!"

The green-haired man looked determined as he murmured, "I'll follow in Laxus' footsteps…"

Gajeel was shocked, "H-hold on! Why wasn't I included?! Even Rogue and Juvia got in!"

Lily gave him a sideways glance, "I've heard of your reputation in the guild. Seems they don't trust you yet."

"No! That's not it! I mean, I can't tell you why, but that's not it!" Gajeel hissed.

Lily smirked, "Then there's Erza."

The Requip mage gave him a dark smile, "You aren't ready yet."

"Damn you!" Gajeel roared.

Ur shouted at them, "Quiet down!"

"The Master isn't finished speaking yet." Gildarts added.

Makarov cleared his throat again, "The trials will be held at Tenrou Island! It is holy ground for our guild."

The crowd oohed and aahed.

Lucy whispered to Lisanna, "So, what kind of test is it?"

Lisanna put a finger to her chin, "Well, it changes each year, actually. But it's always something really hard. You become S-Class if you pass after all!" she finished with a smile.

Mira started talking on the stage, "There are some newbies here, so I'll explain the rules. Within this next week, you eight are to select a partner."

Yukino frowned, "A partner?"

Natsu looked over his shoulder, "It's a competition between two-man teams."

Ur picked up from where Mira left off, "There are two rules for the partners you can choose. First, they must be a member of Fairy Tail. Second, you cannot choose an S-Class mage."

Lector nodded sagely, "Well, that makes sense. Having those four as a partner would make things too one-sided."

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch said.

Makarov surprised the crowd with a grin, "Only one of you may pass this year, but this time, Erza will attempt to stop you."

"Ehhhhh?!"

Mira held up a hand with a smile, "I'm going to be a troublemaker this year, too!"

"EHHHHHHH?!"

Gildarts crossed his arms, "All of you quit whining! This is a path all S-Class mages have gone through."

Elfman pointed a shaky finger at him, "H-hey…you can't mean…"

Sting practically jumped into the air, "Gildarts is gonna participate too?!"

"Don't be happy!" Gray yelled.

Ur smirked at her pupil, "I would worry more about me, if I were you Gray."

The Ice Mage stared at his teacher in horror, "Y-you can't be serious…Master, all four of them are in this?!"

Makarov laughed, "Well, of course!"

Lucy covered her mouth with a hand, "Don't tell me you can't become S-Class without defeating all of them!"

Lisanna laughed nervously, "Well, I'm sure they'll hold back a little…"

Happy sniggered, "You understand now that this is hard, right?"

Makarov finished after that, "You eight participants and your partners are to meet in Hargeon Port in one week! That is all!"

**/**

The crowd split up, Lucy took a seat at a table with Sting, Natsu, Gray, Lisanna, Elfman, Wendy, Juvia, Yukino, and Rogue.

Gray crossed his arms, "Man, this year's gonna be tough…"

Yukino gave him a curious look, "I can't believe it's the first time for you guys."

"I'm all fired up!" Sting declared, only to get smacked on the head by his brother.

Natsu growled, "Steal my line again and I'll kick your ass!"

Elfman put his hands on the side of his head, "Gah! The road to S-Class just gets farther away!"

Wendy glanced between them, "You guys have it rough, huh?"

"Do your best, everyone!" Lisanna chirped.

Lucy saw Freed with Bixlow a little ways off. She gestured at them, "So, they're partners? They seem strong, sure!"

Rogue gave her a sideways glance, "You seem skeptical."

Lucy shrugged and turned back to the others, "So, have you all decided on a partner yet?"

Sting flashed her a grin, "Well, Natsu of course!"

The Salamander cracked his knuckles and bared his fangs, "Leave it to me."

Elfman looked unhappy, to say the least, "That ain't fair! You two have been working together for years!"

Natsu nodded his head towards Freed and Bixlow, "Well, so have they."

Gray smirked, "I don't mind. Natsu hasn't gotten much stronger since he was in Edolas for so long."

The Salamander glared daggers at him, "Oh, yeah? Let's hear you say that when I kick your ass in the exam."

"Now then…" Sting got up from his seat. Natsu jumped up and they flew out the door together, "WE GOTTA TRAIN!"

Lisanna smiled after them, "That brings back memories, for sure…Before he went to Edolas, Natsu was going to take the trials. Those two think if they become powerful, they'll be able to find the dragons again."

Lucy nodded and stared at the door where they'd disappeared. _Good luck, Sting! _

**/**

That night, Lucy was walking down the snow-covered streets back home, reveling in the events of the day.

Lisanna had decided to become Juvia's partner, since the latter had no anxieties that the Take-Over mage was after Gray(Seriously, how warped can you get?).

The youngest Take-Over sibling then convinced Elfman to ask Evergreen, since the woman had been very perturbed that Freed had chosen Bixlow for his partner instead of her.

Rogue had asked Yukino of course, although it surprised Lucy that he hadn't asked Gajeel until she saw the Iron Mage stun everyone by convincing Levy to let him be her partner.

The biggest surprise for Lucy, however, was when Loke appeared out of nowhere and announced that he was Gray's partner(Since when were they all buddy-buddy?).

One other thing that confused her was that Charle had been acting rather uneasy.

Lucy looked down an alley as she walked, maybe by sheer chance, and spotted Cana, dead drunk and half-buried in snow. She screamed at her, "THAT'S NO PLACE TO PASS OUT!"

**/**

Lucy rushed the girl back home and got her wrapped in a blanket with hot chocolate.

When Cana recovered, she smiled at Lucy, "Man, you're a lifesaver…I would've been a goner if no one noticed me."

The Spirit Mage shook her head in exasperation, "You've been acting all weird lately."

"Well, I've got this sort of complex with the exams…It's just that, this is my fifth try…" she trailed off.

Lucy tilted her head to the side, "Oh, is that it? But that doesn't mean you have to leave Fairy Tail. You don't have to be so obsessed with it-"

"I _have _to become S-Class!" Cana shouted.

Although subdued by her tone, Lucy let the older woman keep talking, "If I don't…I'll have no right to meet that person…"

Lucy listened to her for a long while as Cana told her the reason behind her complex. The Spirit Mage was stunned by the end of her speech. Then she stood up abruptly, "I'm not letting you leave! I'll be your partner!"

Cana stared at her in shock, "L-lucy…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

One week later, the participants of the S-Class exams met together in Hargeon Port. A huge ship sailed up to the docks, with a big red Fairy Tail symbol on the largest sail…\

**/**

_We didn't know…How could we have known? It was all over…in a flash..._

**/**

The young man sat up in the grass, catching the attention of the stag at the lake. The deer looked at him with bright, brown eyes. He was still for a moment, then smiled at the animal. But then the stag bounded off, startled by his presence. The young man reached after it with his hand, but thought better of it and put it back to his side. He looked up sadly at the sky, "I am…still rejected by the world…"


	2. Who's the Lucky One?

**Still redoing the paragraphing here. Just to clarify, **

**/ means a scene change**

**/\/\/\/\/\ means a time change**

**If I miss something or you don't understand something, feel free to ask**

**-Darkfire1220**

_Chapter 2: Who's the Lucky One?_

"God…It's so _hot…_" Lucy moaned. "I might melt from the heat…"

"It's not that bad." Natsu remarked.

Lucy gave him an accusing look, "Says the _Fire _Dragon Slayer. Nothing's too hot for you. But seriously…it's the middle of winter, what's with this heat?!"

"The currents in the air and water around here make this place tropical year round." Cana answered from a table on the deck of the ship.

Wendy gasped beside her, "That's no excuse…it's still too hot…"

Cana gave her a sideways look, "Why'd you come here again?"

"Master asked me if I could give emergency treatment to anyone who gets hurt…and he didn't want to deal with seasick Dragon Slayers." Wendy mumbled, gesturing to her, 'brothers'.

She had cast Troia on all of them to relieve their motion sickness. Frankly, they couldn't thank her enough.

Most everyone on the ship felt the same way as they headed towards Tenrou Island:

Hot. Just too. Damn. _Hot. _

All the girls were in swimsuits. Gray was butt-ass naked and all the other guys were shirtless, even Natsu(Probably just for the heck of it since the heat didn't affect him). The only exceptions were Freed, Bixlow, and Juvia, who somehow managed to keep their clothing on and look comfortable.

Natsu glanced at the scar on Sting's chest. "I've seen that a couple times now, but what the hell happened to you?" he asked.

The White Dragon shrugged dismissively, "I got into a fight with Rogue during the Phantom War."

Natsu whistled, "Damn, he did a number on ya, didn't he?"

The Shadow Dragon smirked from across the deck, "I'll take that as a compliment." Sting and Natsu grinned at him in response.

Lisanna looked over at Juvia in concern, "Juvia, aren't you hot in that?"

She gestured to the rain woman's clothing, but Juvia shook her head, "Juvia is fine. But she thinks that Gray's naked body is hot!"

She oogled him from across the deck as the Ice Mage groaned, "So hot…"

Loke smirked at him, "I don't know what you're complaining about. Thanks to this heat, you're on a ship full of girls in their swimsuits."

"Says the playboy." Lucy muttered.

Evergreen held a fan in her hand and wafted air towards her, "Men. They're all the same."

Elfman grunted weakly, "It's hot to be a man!"

Evergreen gave him a, 'what?' look.

Levy sighed, "Everyones the same as always. Hard to believe we'll be enemies in a few minutes."

"Gee-hee. I'll blow em' all away!" Gajeel said, as he used Levy's head as an armrest. Surprisingly, she didn't really seem to mind.

Natsu glanced away for a moment and started, "Hey, there it is!"

Everyone ran up to the front of the ship. Tenrou Island was shaped like an hourglass, starting out as rock, before growing into a large tree with a mushroom-shaped top.

Elfman raised an eyebrow, "What a weird shape."

"It is said that fairies once lived on that island."

They all turned to see Makarov on the higher deck. The old man kept talking, "That is also the final resting place of the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis."

"Hey! Why are you dressed like that?!" Gray yelled, noticing he was wearing vacation clothing.

Makarov fanned himself, "Because it's hot!"

"Besides, what right do you have to ask that? You don't have any clothes at all!" exclaimed Cana.

Gray noticed this and yelled in shock, "Agh, what the hell?!"

Natsu rolled his eyes, "Did that frozen idiot _just _notice?"

Makarov put a hand in the air before a fight could break out, "Anyways, this is the plan for the exams."

**? Path: Hard Battle ? Path: Battle ? Path: Battle ? Path: Hard Battle**

**? Path: Hard Battle ? Path: Battle ? Path: Battle ? Path: Hard Battle**

Eyebrows were raised at the diagram.

Gray smirked, "Battle first, huh?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, "It says 'Hard Battle' on four of those paths. Guess that's where the S-Class guys are hiding."

Levy nodded, "I bet your right…"

Makarov cleared his throat, "Each team will choose a path. At the end of each path, you will be engaged in either a, 'battle' or a, 'hard battle' assuming you pass, we will move on to the second exam."

Bixlow tilted his head, "Damn, the way this is set up, at least two teams will get knocked out at best."

"And at worst, only two will remain." Freed finished.

Makarov clapped his hands together, "Well, Wendy and I will head to the camp until the first exam is completed. From there on, I'll meet you for the second exam. Now, begin!"

Lucy blinked, "But we're still at sea…How do we-kya!"

Sting and Natsu flew past the rest of the group, Sting in White Drive and Natsu with flames blasting out of his feet.

Elfman roared, "Dammit, that's not fair!"

Suddenly, the brothers hit an invisible wall and reeled backwards.

Natsu spluttered, "W-wha…"

Levy's eyes widened, "Runes?…! Freed!"

Freed and Bixlow flew off the ship, smirking at the group behind them.

"Don't worry, they'll vanish in five minutes." Freed said.

Bixlow cackled, "Shoulda sealed them off til' the exams were done!"

"What kind of test would that be, then?" Freed remarked.

Sting roared after them, "You bastards!"

Something clicked in Lucy's head, "Levy! You can rewrite these!"

The script mage nodded, "Yep! I'll cancel them. But," She smirked, "Only for me and Gajeel!" The two of them jumped overboard into the ocean.

"Levy!" Lucy protested.

Levy gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry Lucy!"

Evergreen pulled out a pen and also rewrote the runes, but only for herself and Elfman. The two of them leaped into the water as well.

"Dammit! Let us out!" Natsu growled.

Rogue tch'd and turned to Yukino, "How much more time's left?"

"Four more minutes." she answered.

**/**

When time was up, the runes exploded and faded away.

Natsu and Sting shot off again, literally skating across the ocean from moving at such high speeds.

Gray froze the water and slid towards Tenrou Island with Loke.

Yukino used Libra's gravity to fly her and Rogue away, while Juvia and Lisanna swam to the island with a Fish Take-Over and Juvia's water body.

Lucy and Cana leaped in, swimming frantically to the island on their own. Cana shouted as they swam, "Shit! We're gonna be last! Move faster!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Lucy yelped.

**/**

Natsu and Sting ran past the beach to the paths the moment they stopped racing across the water.

The White Dragon swallowed nervously, "Do you feel that?"

The Salamander nodded, "Yeah. This place has tons of magic power…"

They got to a series of caves with letters over them. Three were marked out, leaving five open.

Sting tch'd, "Guess Freed, Levy, and Elfman already chose their paths."

Natsu shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Which one do you want?" He gestured to where A, C, D, E, and G paths were still open.

Sting thought about it a moment and grinned at his brother, "E. Just like, 'Erza'."

Natsu nodded agreement, also grinning, "Let's go!" They rushed off into the path, and it closed as they entered.

**/**

When Lucy and Cana found the caves, their hearts sank. The only path left was C path, causing Cana to tch and bite her lip, "I knew it. We _are _last!"

Lucy shook her head, "It's okay. If I know anything, I'm lucky! It's 'C' path for Cana! It's a sign!"

Cana sighed, "I hope you're right."

They walked through the cave for a while, until they came up to a small clearing.

Lucy saw a banner on the roof that read, 'Battle'. She sighed in relief, "At least it's not a hard battle."

"Oh, but it will be."

They froze at the voice, as Freed and Bixlow stepped out of the shadows.

The girls both paled, Cana stammering, "L-lucy? Um, what happened to being lucky?"

"The Thunder God Tribe…" she mumbled, scared.

**/**

Levy and Gajeel faced off against Juvia and Lisanna after going down the G Path.

The Iron Mage grumbled, "Dammit, I was hoping for the Salamander and the White Dragon, or maybe my brother. Hell, even Erza or Mira would have been entertaining. But seriously?"

Lisanna puffed up her cheek in anger, "We'll make you eat those words."

"Juvia will not show mercy because we are comrades, Gajeel." Juvia said with certainty.

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "Oh, whatever. If I beat ya, maybe Salamander'll get pissed off and come after me. Hey, interesting theory! I'll test it out. Bring it!" He held up his hand in challenge as the two girls charged him.

Levy shook her head, "Unbelievable. You'd think I wasn't even participating."

**/**

"Of all people…"

"It had to be _her?!" _

Elfman and Evergreen watched in horror as their opponent's tail swished from side to side in a teasing manner.

Mirajane was in her Satan Soul form, smirking at her brother and his partner. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my brother, Elfman." she said sweetly.

Elfman shook with terror, while Evergreen stammered, "H-hey! Don't f-forget I'm here too!"

**/**

Loke rubbed his hands together and let out a long breath. "Is it just me, or is it getting…really cold?" he asked.

Gray, currently shirtless, shrugged, "I don't see any difference."

"You need to be more perceptive, Gray."

The two of them stopped and stared at a figure sitting on a pillar of rock above them. Suddenly, the air became absolutely frigid and the rock started to crack as it froze.

Gray gave the stranger a nervous smile, "I thought it might be you. I'm not sure it's a good thing that I was right."

Ur smiled down at him, "We shall see, my student. We shall see."

**/**

Rogue and Yukino hopped from rock to rock in the flooded tunnel, until they saw someone standing in their path.

The Shadow Dragon's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Not a very good start for an exam."

Yukino took a step back on the rock she stood on in hesitation.

"What are you doing, Yukino? If you're going to beat me, you need to get closer." The figure said.

The Spirit Mage laughed nervously, "That would make sense to you, but not for a long-range fighter like me."

"I concede the point. Rogue, _you _need to come closer." Erza said, totally serious.

The Shadow Dragon unsheathed his katana and held it in his right hand. He flicked the point up and directed it at Erza, eyes dark, "I accept your challenge, Titania…"

**/**

Sting and Natsu walked down the dark tunnel, the only source of light being little fireflies' lights appearing and fading with the darkness.

Natsu sniffed the air and stiffened.

Sting flashed him a glance, "What's wrong?"

The Salamander's eyes widened as he sniffed some more, before he looked at the exit to the tunnel. He didn't answer Sting, and instead walked out the exit and into a large cave.

The walls were covered in glowing moss, and the fireflies seemed more plentiful here. The tiny insects were hovering low to the ground, exposing dark boots hidden in the shadows with every flicker of light.

Natsu growled, "Quit hiding back there. It's not like you, old man."

Sting stared as the boots moved and stepped forward into a more visible patch of the cave. A torn cloak, a prosthetic arm and leg, bandages around the torso….

Gildarts.

The S-Class mage smiled at them. "Yo, guys. Looks like you two got the bad luck this round." The brothers didn't move, didn't react to a word he said. Gildarts took another step forward, "You know how I hate holding back. But I don't think I'll need to. Ur's told me some good things about the both of you."

He took another step forward.

The moment his foot touched the ground, scales appeared on both of the brothers. Red scales appeared on Natsu's face and his only visible arm. White scales formed on Sting's face, arms, and torso.

Dragon Force.

Gildarts stopped moving towards them and observed the magic power emanating from Natsu and Sting, his face expressionless.

Natsu looked up at him and bared elongated fangs in a fierce smile, "I'm all fired up…"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Sting hissed.

**/**

Charle flew ahead of Happy, Lector, Frosch, and Lily.

Lector flashed a glance at her, "Are we almost to Tenrou Island?"

Charle nodded, "It's just up ahead, see?" She pointed out at the horizon, where the hourglass shaped island was coming into view.

Lily was frowning in thought, "Are you certain what you saw was a premonition?"

"It's really impressive that Charle has such an incredible power!" Happy praised.

Frosch nodded, "Frosch thinks so too!"

Charle shook her head, "I hate this power."

Lector gave her a shocked look, "Why? If it's real, shouldn't you be glad we had a warning?"

Charle bit her lip. "That's the only plus about it. Because of this power…I keep having these terrible visions of a man with strange eyes. And that black beast…I don't know what it is, but just thinking about it scares me."

Lily shook his head, "We don't have time to think about it. We have to find the Master and warn the others. If it _is _a premonition, then I doubt it can be avoided, but we can prepare for it."

Charle shivered as she imagined the huge black figure, the flashing white fangs, and the eyes. The _eyes. _Empty, filled with nothing but a killing fury. "I hope you're right, Lily."


	3. The Fear of S-Class

**Sheesh, I dunno why, but this chapter took me FOREVER to write! I liked the ending though, so it was worth it. Anyways, I have exams this week, so the chapters might be kinda few and far between. I'll do what I can though! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 3: The Fear of S-Class_

Evergreen shrieked as Mirajane batted her out of the air like a fly and sent her crashing to the ground.

"Take Over: Beast Soul!" Elfman roared and charged his sister, swinging a monstrous fist at her.

Mira raised a hand and caught the blow easily. She smirked, "You'll need to do better than that, Elfman." With a swift punch in the stomach, she sent him skidding backwards.

Elfman fell to one knee and coughed from the force. _Damn! Strong as always! If we don't figure something out, she'll wipe the floor with us in the next few attacks…_

**/**

Rogue slashed at Erza with Shadow Steel, meeting the sword of her Sea Empress Armor in midair. The Requip mage was making full use of the water in the tunnels, sending sharp blades of water at her opponents.

Yukino yelped and ducked as another torrent flew over her head. She sat up and pulled out a gate key. _Now's my chance! _she thought.

Erza had been keeping Rogue at bay and preventing her from using her spirits at the same time, but now Yukino had a shot at attacking. "Gate of the twin fish, I open thee: Pisces!"

The spirits appeared in fish states and charged Erza, who had to take her attention off of Rogue to avoid the twisting creatures.

That was all the Shadow Dragon needed.

He took a deep breath while Erza was stuck in midair and shouted, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" The burst of shadowy breath raced towards her, but at the last second, Erza slashed and cut it in half with a blade of water.

Rogue tch'd and leaped aside to avoid it, but the white Pisces managed to deliver a glancing blow on the Requip mage as he dodged. Erza skidded backwards, only slightly damaged. Pisces dissipated in golden light.

Rogue backed up to Yukino and whispered, "This isn't going well."

"Well, she's S-Class for a reason." she whispered back.

Erza swung her sword in a circle, "What's wrong, Rogue? You can't be giving it everything you have. Come at me seriously!"

The Shadow Dragon snorted. _Indeed._

**/**

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray shouted. He fired many spears of ice up at the pillar of rock where Ur still stood, confident as ever.

She smiled at him and spoke with a voice brimming with amusement, "Ice Make: Lotus Shield!" Several ice flowers grew out of the side of the rock pillar and blocked the ice lances from touching either the pillar or Ur.

Loke jumped up behind her with his fist buried in golden light. He yelled, "Regulus Impact!"

A burst of light in the shape of a lion's head raced towards Ur, but she turned around and caught the attack in one hand, much to their surprise. She closed her hand into a fist and the lion dissipated.

Loke was stunned to say the least, but Ur followed up quickly, "Ice Make: Rose Storm!" A snowstorm of frozen, thorny rose petals flew at Loke and blew him away into the side of the cave.

The Lion Spirit crawled out of the rubble with some difficulty, "Damn…Freakin' strong…"

Gray wasn't surprised by that remark at all. "I knew you'd be tough, but you're still just playing with us." he said.

Ur turned back to him with a serious expression.

Gray kept going, "I don't see a point in beating you if you're not being serious about this."

It was an attempt to throw her off her calm persona, but Ur just sighed, "You still have a lot to learn, Gray. That's why you don't realize, even after all these years, how powerful I am when I'm, 'Serious'."

As she spoke, the air became filled with frigid mist. The rock all over the cave froze totally solid and started to splinter and crack. Gray's eyes widened as a tower of ice-blue energy erupted from the rock at her feet and blasted straight through the cavern roof. The sunlight the hole in the roof let through glittered off the ice. Ur stood tall, a beautiful and fierce figure inside the intense ice magic. For the first time since the fight started, Gray's confidence wavered.

_This is a real S-Class mage…_

**/**

Natsu and Sting lunged at Gildarts from either side of the man.

The Salamander jumped up and kicked at him with a shout, "Fire Dragon's Claw!"

Sting swung a fist bathed in light, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!"

Gildarts grinned, catching both brother's attacks before slamming them together and then throwing them apart.

Natsu used his hands to skid on the ground since he was upside down in midair, and took a deep breath, as Sting did the same across the across the cavern.

"Fire…"

"White…"

"Dragon's Roar!" they yelled and fired their respective breath attacks at Gildarts in perfect unison.

The S-Class mage put both hands out towards each attack and on contact, disassembled them into tiny pieces.

Sting put his hands together, then fired multiple rays of light from his open palms. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" he shouted.

Gildarts left his arms on either side, but turned his palms down. Suddenly, the ground at his feet shattered and sank as he was hit with the missiles, their impact lessened thanks to the rock as it gave way beneath him.

Sting blinked in amazement. _He crushed the ground and used it to cushion the blow…_

Natsu ran at Gildarts and started fighting him in close combat, but the S-Class mage was easily getting the better of him, though the Salamander got in a few punches.

Sting raced down the crater to join his brother, getting behind Gildarts in seconds. He fired a burst of light from his hand, which hit the S-Class mage and created a stigmata.

Gildarts froze, eyes widening in surprise. Sting yelled, "Natsu! Now!"

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" he answered, not missing a beat. Sting leaped to the side as Natsu unleashed a spinning, blade-like flame from his hands with a roar, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

The flames created a huge explosion upon hitting Gildarts, burying him in a torrent of fire. Natsu leaped away from the crater, where Sting joined him.

The White Dragon took a quick breath, "Did that do it?"

"Pfft. No way. Too easy." the Salamander remarked.

"That's a good assumption to make."

The brothers tensed as Gildarts emerged from the smoke. His cloak was badly damaged, but that was it. A couple small burns, but nothing significant.

Sting was shocked, "There's no way. I can't believe this…Did we do _anything?!" _

"Look closer." Natsu pointed at Gildarts' feet. The Salamander grinned, "We moved him from his original position. That's a good first step."

Sting blinked in confusion, "We moved…?" He realized Natsu was right. Gildarts hadn't taken a step since the fight had begun. Something else clicked in Sting's head that made his blood run cold. _Holy shit, he fought both of us off at the same time and didn't take a step. And he CAN'T be giving it his all right now…There wouldn't be anything left of this cave if he was really trying. _

The thoughts made the White Dragon realize just how much farther they had to go before they reached this man's level.

He was a real monster.

Gildarts smiled at them, "Not bad, boys. That was some impressive teamwork, not to mention power. Normally, I'd pass you after seeing that."

The brothers were startled, but Sting protested almost immediately, "No way! It wouldn't be, 'Passing' if we didn't beat you!"

Natsu said nothing, but nodded agreement.

Gildarts sighed, "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd say that." It was quiet for a few moments, then the earth started to rumble ominously. Gildarts' body started to emanate intense magic power, making the smaller rocks at his feet actually levitate from the pressure. "That is why I will no longer go easy on you." he thundered.

Natsu and Sting actually flinched back from the magic power in the air as it rose to ridiculously high levels. Gildarts stared into their eyes with a serious look, as he continued to speak in that low, deep voice that seemed to shake the air, "There is something you lack. Something that you both _need _if you wish to continue on this path of magic."

The White Dragon and the Salamander stared in awe as magic power exploded from Gildarts' body and shot up into the air as a tower of energy. "Know now…what that is." he finished.

**/**

Lucy and Cana froze in the middle of their battle with Freed and Bixlow, who also stopped in their tracks, as a massive force shook the cave they were fighting in.

Lucy stammered, "Wh-what is that?!"

"It's magic power…a colossal amount!" Cana whispered.

Freed was stunned, "Such force…I'm not certain even Laxus…"

Bixlow tch'd, "That's gotta be Gildarts. No one else could create a freakin' _earthquake _with just their aura..."

"You let down your guard!" Lucy cried, releasing Sagittarius to shoot down all of Bixlow's puppets.

The puppeteer freaked, "My babies!" Sagittarius vanished with a smirk.

Cana yelled, "Nice going, Lucy! Now he's helpless!"

"That does not guarantee a victory. Do not forget about me!" Freed declared.

Cana glared at him, "I haven't forgotten anything. Prayer's Fountain!" She threw a card at him and water burst from it, forcing Freed to back up quickly.

That was all Lucy needed. She took out another key and stuck it into the spray of water with a shout, "Aquarius!"

The mermaid exploded out of the water with an angry yell, "All of you drown!" She released a huge torrent of water from the jug she held and blasted Freed and Bixlow, slamming them both into the cave wall simultaneously. At the same time, the water knocked Lucy and Cana flat on the ground.

Cana staggered to her feet and spluttered, "Wh-what the hell's your deal?! Can't you tell allies from enemies?!"

Aquarius glared at her, "What'd you say?!"

The two women started to bicker with each other, even though the battle flag on the ceiling changed it's writing to say, "Pass". The gate in the back of the cave opened to let them through, but Lucy sighed as she watched Cana and Aquarius go at it, "Those two are so similar."

**/**

Gajeel rubbed his face as he and Levy walked down the path. He had managed to defeat both Juvia and Lisanna easily enough on his own, but he never got to test his theory to piss off Natsu since he underestimated the girls. When he was busy thinking of the best way to go about it, Lisanna took advantage of his careless attitude and slashed his face with her Tigress Take-Over. That understandably pissed him off, and he proceeded to blast her and Juvia aside with a breath attack.

Black Steel hissed in pain from the scratches on his face, "Dammit, that hurts. I never knew she could fight like that."

Levy gave him a sideways look, "Serves you right."

"What'd you say?!" Gajeel growled.

The Script mage sighed, "That'll teach you not to mess with Lisanna just to get under Natsu's skin. She _is _Mira's little sister, after all. She's not helpless."

Gajeel hissed again, but conceded the point. Even he screwed up sometimes…okay, he screwed up a lot, but who's counting?

**/**

Rogue skidded backwards, hissing, as Erza pushed him back again. The Requip mage was panting, but still held firm. Yukino was about to reach her limit, having summoned almost all of her Spirits already.

The Shadow Dragon flashed a glance at her as she trembled just from the effort of standing upright. _I've got to end this quick, or we'll really be in trouble_ he thought.

He faced Erza and took a deep breath. His Shadow Drive had helped him press the Requip mage, but it hadn't been enough to defeat her. Rogue focused all of his power into the core of his body, creating black scales that covered his face, since his arms and chest were under clothing. "Dragon Force." he growled.

Erza requipped to her Black Wing Armor and readied her sword.

Rogue had long since given up trying to overwhelm her with swordplay, and charged her on his own. She lunged at him, sword set to slash up at him from her side.

Yukino cried out behind him, "Libra! Gravity!"

The Heavenly Scales Spirit appeared and altered the gravity around Erza. The Requip Mage was suddenly forced to one knee from the pressure, left open for just a moment.

A moment was all Rogue needed.

He raised his arms above his head and brought them down on Erza with a roar, "Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!" A massive sphere of darkness formed from Rogue's hands and blasted Erza, smashing her into the rock beneath her to completely shatter it.

The Shadow Dragon leaped backwards onto another rock in the flooded tunnel as Erza splashed into the water. He flashed a concerned glance at Yukino, who fell to her knees from exhaustion. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Yukino just nodded, too tired to reply.

Rogue turned back to Erza to find her crawling back onto another rock. She sat up and turned to face him, coughing water up. Once she was done, she observed them both carefully. It was silent for a while, Rogue was unsure whether to attack again. Erza smiled, "You pass. But I must ask you to be more careful with your magic power, Yukino. That was very risky on your part."

The Spirit mage nodded at her as Rogue jumped back and picked her up.

The Shadow Dragon looked back at Erza, "What about you?"

The Requip mage shook her head, "It's fine. The Master left a spell here that will let me teleport to the camp."

Rogue, having no more reason to stay, jumped past her from rock to rock and left the flooded tunnel with a barely conscious Yukino in his arms.

**/**

"Gah!" Loke yelled as Ur blew him away once more.

The Wizard Saint was easily getting the better of him and Gray, who was barely able to stand at this point.

Gray tch'd and set his fist on his palm again, even as Ur narrowed her eyes from the pillar which she still stood. "Have you not figured it out yet, Gray? You can't defeat me in a straight fight." she said quietly.

Gray yelled, "Shaddup! It aint' over til' it's over!"

Ur rolled her eyes, "Men. Oh, well…"

"Ice Cannon!" Gray bellowed, firing a beam of ice at his teacher-

Ur blew it aside with one hand without batting an eye.

Gray flinched in shock as she stared down at him, eyes dark and serious. It was silent in the cave for several moments, until Ur closed her eyes and sighed, "It seems…you haven't learned yet. You're almost there, but this last step for you to take is a difficult one. Once you figure out what, 'Power' is, you'll know what I mean. But you aren't ready yet, Gray." She put her fist on her palm and started releasing icy blue magic from her hands. Her gaze was unwavering as she looked down on her student, "Ice Make: Flower Prison."

Gray braced himself for a big attack, but none came. A flurry of flower petals circled him and Loke, confusing him for a moment. "What-"

A petal touched his hand and suddenly swelled in size, weighing him down. He gasped as more of the petals made contact with his body and grew, dragging him to the ground from the weight.

When he and Loke could no longer move, Ur finally jumped down from the pillar and walked up to them. She crossed her arms in front of the boys, "Game over. Sorry, Gray."

Her student glared up at her for a moment, then looked away. His mind was racing. _What do I lack?_

**/**

The rocks on the cave floor began to shatter and rise into the air. Gildarts was encased in an intense torrent of energy that seemed to obliterate anything it touched.

Natsu and Sting raised their arms up out of instinct, trying to ward off the massive force somehow.

The S-Class mage made no move towards them, just stared at them with the same intensity as his magic power. Then he spoke, "Submit."

Sting's eyes flashed as he roared, _"I am the White Dragon Slayer! My father was the Light Dragon Vicelogia! I am not afraid of you!" _

He charged Gildarts, despite Natsu's protests. Sting raised his fist to punch at Gildarts, but the look in his eyes stopped him before he reached the cocoon of energy surrounding the S-Class mage. It was a challenge, but he had seen something else in them. A brief spark of disappointment that faded almost instantly.

Sting was frozen to the spot, entranced by the intense power and the dark eyes staring at him from within it. He found that he was hardly able to breathe as he stood near the deluge of magic power. The White Dragon felt his body chill unexpectedly, and he gasped for air.

"Don't just stand there, child of Vicelogia. I can't teach you how to breathe." Gildarts thundered. But Sting couldn't move. He watched Gildarts for a few moments, frozen to the spot, when he realized.

_This is hopeless…._

The White Dragon fell to his knees in surrender.

Gildarts' magic power dissipated quickly after, but Sting was still gasping for breath.

Natsu still stood behind him, eyes wide and unmoving.

Sting was trembling uncontrollably on his hands and knees, his voice shaky, "I.. 't…I can't..Do this…" Gildarts said nothing, just stared down at him curiously.

Then he smiled, "Excellent. You _can _learn, after all."

The brothers said nothing, too subdued to speak. The S-Class mage continued, "You both have reached the cap of your power as you are right now. What was holding you back was something you were taught by the dragons: not to fear anything. You said once that Vicelogia told you it was a sickness of the mind, and would make you weak. He was right, but that's not the fear I'm talking about."

Natsu seemed to gain back his ability to talk, "Then…what..?"

Gildarts looked up at him, "We all have something we fear, in a corner of our hearts. It's our true weakness, the one thing we cannot overcome about ourselves. Nobody is perfect, no matter what they say, or how strong they are. It is necessary for you to learn what you fear in order to realize your weakness. Doing so makes people strong, and gentle."

He looked back down at the White Dragon, who's gaze was still fixed on the ground, "You realized it just now, didn't you? You can't keep living like this, Sting. It will be your undoing."

Sting said nothing, unable to react.

Gildarts smiled at him gently, "Regardless, you both performed magnificently. You pass."

Sting flinched on the ground and Natsu stuttered in shock, "B-but we didn't-"

"Go. Your supervisor said you passed. But don't think this is the end of the road. An even greater challenge lies ahead." Gildarts kneeled down and ruffled the White Dragon's hair with his hand. "Continue and become S-Class. I know you can." It was too much for Sting to take.

Despite the internal conflict, he broke Vicelogia's rule. A single tear fell from his face for the first time since he was a child.


	4. Assault on Tenrou Island

**It begins...Fairy Tail vs Grimoire Heart. I put in some useful information here, so be sure to read it thoroughly. The battles will, of course, be different than the manga for the most part, but I think you'll like what I've got in mind. As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 4: Assault on Tenrou Island_

Gajeel and Levy met up with the other passing teams and the Master at the end of the G Path. The Iron Mage's eyes scanned the people there.

Sting was sitting away from the main group, appearing to be deep in thought while Natsu twiddled his fingers.

Rogue was sitting next to Yukino, who looked really tired, while Cana and Lucy were talking to the Master.

Gajeel was a little surprised that Gray or even Freed hadn't made it through. He didn't know what to think of Elfman, so he put that thought aside.

Lucy waved to Levy as they walked over, "Levy! You passed too!"

The Script mage nodded, "Yeah, not that I got to do anything though. Gajeel beat Juvia and Lisanna on his own."

Gajeel grinned, "That's right. You hear that, Salamander?"

Natsu looked over at him for a moment, then smirked.

Black Steel raised a studded eyebrow, "What's so funny?"

Natsu bared his fangs in an evil smile, "Looks like you got all clawed up by Lisanna. Is that what happened, Levy?"

Levy smiled deviously in return and nodded, causing the Salamander to laugh, "I'll have to remember to thank her for that."

"Shut it, you damn fireball." Gajeel growled.

Makarov cleared his throat, "Anyways, it seems these are the teams that passed. Cana and Lucy beat Freed and Bixlow."

Levy squealed, "No way!"

"Rogue and Yukino got past Erza."

Gajeel blinked in surprise, "Really?"

"And Sting and Natsu somehow passed Gildarts."

Levy and Gajeel's jaws dropped in perfect unison, "YOU'RE KIDDING?!"

Makarov looked around, "Gray and Loke were beaten by Ur. It seems that would leave Elfman and Evergreen with…Ah…"

Lucy smiled nervously, "Mirajane, huh?"

Cana shuddered, "Sucks for them."

"Hold on a minute!"

Everyone turned in surprise as a busted, but not beaten Elfman and Evergreen walked into the clearing, Elfman with his fist in the air as he proclaimed, "We beat sis and passed!"

Cana was shocked, "No way!"

"How did you pull that off?" Lucy asked.

The two of them looked decidedly uncomfortable at that question and didn't' answer her.

Makarov turned away from them, "Regardless, that's everyone. Now, the second test is pretty straightforward: Find the grave of Mavis Vermillion. The first team to find it, wins. I'll be waiting for you there!" His hand touched a rune and he vanished in a poof of smoke. The rune faded a moment later.

Sting sat up from where he was sitting, grinning with confidence, "Hey, Rogue, Cana, Levy, Elfman! I challenge all of you to see who becomes an S-Class!"

Rogue smirked, "But of course."

"I'm not gonna lose!" Levy chirped.

Elfman roared, "As a man, I must accept that challenge!"

Cana said nothing, she and Lucy were already gone. The other teams shot off after them.

**/**

"What? You can't use Dragon Force anymore?" Erza asked in surprise.

She was at the table in the camp with Wendy, Mira, Lisanna, Juvia, and Ur. Gray and Gildarts stood by the table. Loke had disappeared a while ago back into the spirit world.

The exceed had arrived minutes ago to everyone's surprise, and asked where the Master was, but decided to wait until he returned to inform them why they came.

Wendy nodded at Erza's question, "Yeah. It seems like it was easier to use Dragon Force in Edolas. I tried it here, but I couldn't even form a scale without totally draining myself."

Erza tapped her chin in thought, "Now that I think of it, all of the Dragon Slayers were using Dragon Force for a much longer time than they normally do. Perhaps you're right."

"Hmm, how long can they usually hold it?" Lily queried.

Gray looked over at him, "If you consider Gajeel the strongest of them, no more than five minutes. But that's usually all the time they need."

Lily closed his eyes in thought for a moment. When he opened them, he looked over at Gildarts, "You tested Natsu, right?"

The S-Class mage scratched the back of his head, "Well, technically I tested Sting, but yeah, I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

The black exceed looked somewhat nervous, "Did you notice anything…different…about his magic power?"

Gildarts fixed him with a serious look, "I'm assuming you're talking about his Dragon Force?" Lily nodded, prompting him to continue, "Yeah, I noticed. The two years he spent in Edolas did nothing for him in terms of magic power. He's forcing his body past it's limits to keep up with the others. Sting held Dragon Force for two minutes easy, but Natsu had to hide the fact that he was shaking after just one."

Lisanna flashed him a worried glance, "If he was having so much trouble, why didn't you bring him back here?"

Gildarts shook his head, "I passed them. I couldn't just take Sting's partner away, but I'll get a hold of him once the trials are over."

Wendy smiled in reassurance, "He can still fight with his sword if he runs out of his own magic, though. He should be okay as he is right now."

Lily sighed, "That's the other thing I'm worried about. He didn't use his sword during your battle, did he?" Gildarts frowned and shook his head. Lily scratched his chin as he spoke, "Well, at least he had sense enough to do that."

Erza flashed him a curious glance, "What do you mean?"

"Natsu's sword, Igneo, is a unique blade. When we realized in Edolas that he could use high levels of magic power without side effects, Byro created a lacrima for Igneo that could withstand such force without breaking. That lacrima was Byro's master formula, the most advanced battle lacrima we had. Nothing like it exists in Earthland, or even anywhere in Edolas. It was one of a kind, but that's proving to be a hindrance now." Lily explained.

"How so?" Ur asked, narrowing her eyes.

Lily shook his head, "It means that he can't use it excessively without draining the blade totally of magic power, which is what it was originally made for: extreme power usage. That lacrima doesn't just provide offense, it's defensive as well. It has to coat Igneo in a layer of magic power so the blade doesn't shatter from the incredible force Natsu exerts on it. If he uses too much power, the coating dissipates and Igneo will break."

Wendy tilted her head in question, "So, what's-"

"Byro's lacrima is running out of power. He usually had to recharge it after every use. That was it's only flaw. The lacrima can regain it's power back itself, but it's slow, and not at all efficient. And we can't simply replace it either; only Byro knew how to make a lacrima like that." Lily finished.

The camp was silent for a while, before Ur sighed, "Natsu has to get back up to speed. He spent all of last week just learning Requip magic from Erza, not that it'll do him any good with Igneo losing it's power."

Lisanna rubbed her hands together nervously, "What'll happen if Igneo breaks?"

Lily was quiet for a moment before he answered, "He won't use his sword until he runs out of his own magic power. If Igneo breaks in battle against a powerful enemy…I think it'd be safe to say Natsu would be lucky to survive."

Gildarts broke the uneasy silence that fell over them, "Well, I'm getting outta here. Freed and Bixlow need me to take them back to the mainland. See you around."

The others said goodbye, but Lisanna wasn't paying attention. _Please be careful, Natsu. _

Lector said goodbye to Gildarts and walked a few meters away from the camp. He looked over towards the woods beyond, listening to the cries of the forest. _Good luck, Sting. You can become an S-Class, finally! _he hoped his thoughts reached his friend.

Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye. Lector blinked and peered closer. There was a man in a striped red shirt racing through the woods just far enough away that he wouldn't be noticed by people who weren't looking for him.

Lector stared as he disappeared and wondered aloud, "Who the heck was that?"

Mira looked over at him, "What's wrong, Lector?"

The red exceed took a few steps towards the woods, "Someone was just running over there."

Erza frowned, "There shouldn't be. Are you sure?"

Lector nodded vigorously and spread his wings, "I'm sure. He was going really fast, but I know I saw him."

Ur narrowed her eyes, "An intruder? On Tenrou Island? I think we should check it out, just to be safe."

Gray stood up, I'll go with you."

"Juvia will, as well!"

The rain woman sprang up out of her seat, but Erza shook her head, "No, Juvia, you come with me. We'll split up into groups, we can't track down one person down with one bunch of people."

Juvia looked disappointed, but didn't dare argue against Titania.

Wendy walked up, "I'll go too!"

Lily nodded, "The exceed will go with Wendy. That leaves Mirajane and Lisanna to guard the camp."

Lisanna smiled, "Leave it to us. We'll have lunch ready by the time you get back!" The groups shot off in three different directions to track the stranger.

Ur frowned as she ran alongside Gray, deep in thought.

_Why would someone trespass on Tenrou Island?_

**/**

Charle carried Wendy in the air so they could get an aerial view of things. They scanned the island for several minutes before Lector shouted, "There! By the cliff!" He pointed at the edge of a cliff with a large tree on it.

The man in the striped red shirt was standing there, looking over the ocean. With a shock, Wendy realized there was a fleet of warships approaching the island.

The group landed and Pantherlily transformed into his original body, rushing the man and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, much to his surprise. Lily bared his teeth and hissed at him, "Who are you?! What are those ships over there?!"

The man frowned at him, "You're…ah, I see. Fairy Tail. I'm surprised; I thought I'd gone by unnoticed."

Lily shook him and growled angrily, "Answer the question!"

Charle flashed a glance at Wendy, "Pop a red flare. That alerts the others to enemies, right?" Wendy nodded and pulled out a flare, shooting it up into the air.

**/**

Makarov saw the flare and rose to his feet in shock, "Enemies? On our holy ground?"

**/**

Natsu caught a glimpse of light in the sky and his eyes widened, "Sting! Look at that!"

The White Dragon followed his gaze and he stared in surprise for a moment before his eyes darkened and he hissed, "Enemies? Here?"

Natsu replied quickly, "Yeah. Let's go check it…what's that?" He sniffed the air, frowning as he did so.

Sting gave him a curious look, "What's up?"

The Salamander shook his head in confusion, "Do you smell that?"

The White Dragon took a deep whiff and his hair stood on end. He was bristling at the scent, "This smells like…"

"Death." Natsu finished, looking uneasy.

Sting growled, "So the enemy's already spread out? Fine, let's split up. I'll go check out the flare, you follow your nose."

Natsu nodded, and the two of them raced away in different directions.

**/**

Gajeel and Levy looked up at the light in the sky. The Script mage was alarmed, "Enemies?"

"Gee-hee! Perfect!" Gajeel grinned.

**/**

Rogue and Yukino met up with Cana and Lucy when they saw the red flare.

Cana was furious, "No, not now! We're so close!"

Rogue silenced her with a glare, "We don't have time to be worrying about the exam! We have to defeat the enemy first."

Lucy nodded, "Sorry Cana, but he's right."

Cana grumbled in displeasure, but didn't argue.

**/**

Gray tch'd as the flare came into view, "So, it's a real attack. And we're completely split up."

Ur frowned and stopped running.

Gray turned back and looked at her in confusion, "Ur, what's wrong?"

The Wizard Saint shook her head, "I don't know. I feel…strange. There's a presence approaching that I know, but I can't recall…"

Gray stared at her, "I don't like this. Let's try and find the others!"

Ur just nodded and ran after him, still confused. _What's happening to me?_

**/**

"Erza! Look!" Juvia shouted.

The Requip mage saw the flare and her eyes became dark, "So, Lector was right. This has gotten serious after all. Come on, Juvia!"

"Yes!" The two girls ran off in search of the rest of their guild.

**/**

"Answer me! Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?!" Pantherlily roared at the stranger a third time.

The man smirked, "I'm a member of the magic council. My name is Doranbalt, but that isn't important. What is important is that my job here is to find a way to get Fairy Tail out of the magic council's hair."

Wendy's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

Doranbalt shook his head, "To think…you had someone so dangerous on your island. I didn't believe it at first until I felt it myself."

Lily stared at him, "I'm assuming by, 'dangerous' you aren't referring to me. Who is here? Are there more of you?"

Doranbalt laughed, "Do you think I would tell you if there were? And don't attempt to hide him. You're keeping Zeref on this island, are you not?"

Charle snorted, "Right, and my tail is really a venomous snake. If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing. Zeref? Don't be ridiculous! He died over four hundred years ago!"

"He most certainly did not. He's here, right now." Doranbalt insisted.

Suddenly his eyes widened and he vanished into thin air.

Lily stared in shock. _Teleportation?! Then he's…! No! _He whipped around, "Wendy! Look out!"

Doranbalt materialized next to Wendy and dragged her, shrieking, to the side.

Lily lunged at them. _I won't make it in time! _

_BOOM!_

Lily reeled back in shock as an explosion separated him from the rest of the group.

A voice spoke quietly, "Very good. It takes incredible skill to sense my presence."

A man literally grew out of the huge tree at the edge of the cliff.

Lily processed that and then he realized what had happened. _That man protected Wendy…?_

Doranbalt raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I know you. Azuma, of Grimoire Heart."

The man nodded sagely, "Indeed. Is that all?"

Doranbalt laughed, "First Zeref, and now Grimoire. You fairies are as good as done. The warships will-!"

"By warships…do you mean that trash over there?" Azuma rumbled, as the warships exploded behind him.

Wendy gasped, "No way!"

Frosch and Charle looked scared, while Happy and Lector's tails were bristling.

Lily was stunned. _To create such an explosion without taking a step…! _

Azuma stepped out of the tree completely and stared at Doranbalt, "May I begin my mission, Mr. Official?"

Doranbalt tch'd and released Wendy to rush him.

Lily joined him, flying at the dark mage with a fist raised. _We might be enemies, but taking this guy out is the first priority. _

Azuma sighed, "Cats, children, and a member of the magic council…Trash." He put his arms out to the side and bellowed, "Tower Burst!" A massive explosion engulfed his body and blasted up into the air.

Lily and Doranbalt were sent flying, while the other exceed quickly grabbed Wendy and flew away. When the smoke cleared, the exceed and Wendy watched Azuma step past a defeated Pantherlily and Doranbalt.

He looked up at them for a moment, then walked away. That made Happy a little mad, "Hey! What do you think you're-"

"Quiet, Happy! We can't fight that man!" Charle hissed.

Azuma disappeared into the thick forest silently.

The exceed dropped to the ground and rushed to the injured Pantherlily. "Lily? Lily, wake up!" Wendy whimpered.

The black exceed groaned, reverting to his small form before sitting up. He had the wind knocked out of him and couldn't speak, so Wendy started to heal him.

"Guys! What's going on?"

They turned around and saw Sting racing towards them.

Lector jumped in delight, "Sting!"

"Lector? What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

Charle shook her head, "Long story. It can wait. Listen, Grimoire Heart is on the island."

The White Dragon became serious, eyes flashing in silent anger. "How many?" he asked, voice calm.

"Just one that we know of. But he's damn strong." Lily grunted.

Sting assessed the exceed's injuries and the destroyed warships in the water. "I can see that. Do you know why they came?"

Charle shifted her feet nervously, "Well, I'm not certain about Grimoire Heart, but I think their real goal is…"

**/**

Natsu raced after the scent, realizing that Elfman and Evergreen were also close by. He ran to the end of a rocky outcropping over a clearing.

Elfman and Evergreen were facing a strange man with spiky black hair. Natsu felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the man grabbed the sides of his head and screamed. A wave of black energy rushed at Elfman and Evergreen, who seemed frozen to the spot.

The Salamander leaped to the ground and shoved them against the earth.

Evergreen shrieked, "Natsu?!"

"Dammit, don't scare me like that!" Elfman growled.

Natsu stood up after the black wave dissipated.

The stranger stared at him in shock, tears falling from his eyes. He whispered, "Nat…su…"


	5. Grimoire Heart

**Okay, this is a good setup chapter for the battles! I'm sure you'll all get a surprise or two, but remember to trust me here. I know what I'm doing, so don't flip out when you read this. I have plans, so again: Trust me. As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 5: Grimoire Heart_

"Finally…Today, demons and faeries will dance in blood and magic. It is finally time for us to retrieve Zeref and reach the One Magic."

An ancient man sat in a seat at the end of a hall in the Grimoire Heart Battleship. Around him were his subordinates, and seven mages he knew as his strongest servants. True, one of them was already on Tenrou Island, but the others would soon follow.

His second-in-command, Bluenote Stinger, snorted, "Yeah, we've heard your speeches before, old man. Let's just get to the good bit. I want to stretch my wings, already."

"That isn't a very good way to speak to your Master, Bluenote." A woman with long, dark purple hair smirked at him, a crystal orb in her hand.

Bluenote grunted at her, "I don't need you to correct me, Ultear. I'm an impatient man."

Ultear sighed, "Indeed? You would do well to learn from Master Hades then. He has waited decades for this moment."

Bluenote shrugged disconcertedly, and Hades interrupted them before it could continue, "It is of little importance. Makarov's brood shall fall by our hand, tonight. Azuma is already in place. The rest of you Seven Kin of Purgatory shall soon depart to find Zeref and crush Fairy Tail. Bluenote, I shall allow you to go to acquire the Fairy Glitter. Use caution-it will be well guarded."

A human-like creature in the form of a white goat stepped forward, "There is no need for worry. We shall achieve our objective. I was born for this day."

"Well said, Caprico." another beast-like creature, a brown goat with a katana, praised him.

Capricon nodded, "We must all be prepared for this. Yowazu and Kawazu, I have trained you both myself, and you have become members of the Seven Kin. Prove yourselves, today."

Yowazu and Kawazu, a white rooster, bowed to him.

A young girl pointed ahead of the battleship, "Ul, look at-"

_"I told you not to call me that!" _Ultear hissed.

The girl flinched away, causing Bluenote to sigh, "What is it, Meredy?"

Meredy pointed again, "I can see Tenrou Island."

A large, pale man looked ahead, "I-I-I-I-Indeed! It's true, Master Hades!"

Hades laughed, "I can see that, Kain. Caprico, prepare yourself. Makarov is sure to sense our presence."

Ultear frowned as she noticed something ahead, "Hm? What is that?"

A giant blocked the path of the flying battleship.

Hades' eyes widened and he grinned, "Makarov…"

The giant bellowed, "Disappear!"

He lashed out with a fist and slammed the battleship. Everyone inside staggered from the blow. Makarov swung again.

"Avoid it!" Hades commanded.

The giant's fist missed the battleship by inches.

Hades smirked, "Magic Cannon Jupiter!" A cannon was unveiled at the front of the battleship and fired a condensed beam of energy at Makarov, but he simply raised an arm and blew it away, before kicking the ship and crushing the front half of it.

Screams echoed inside the ship, causing Hades to roar, "Ultear!"

"Yes! Time Ark: Restore." Ultear murmured. The ship was suddenly rebuilt, good as new.

Hades held a hand out, "Caprico, take everyone to the island."

"What about you?" Caprico asked.

The Guild Master had a dark look in his eyes, "I shall deal with Makarov."

Caprico nodded, "Understood." He clapped his hands together and every member of Grimoire Heart disappeared into a bubble. Caprico flew out of the battleship and past Makarov.

The giant rumbled ominously, "It matters not where you run!" He put his hands together and started to create a massive sphere of light. "Fairy Law!" he bellowed.

Hades walked to the front of the battleship and stared in disdain, "Stop that."

Makarov watched in shock as Hades created a sphere of darkness between his hands. He fixed the giant with a stern look and commanded, "Grimoire Law. This spell is a deterrent; I do not cast it recklessly, but if you do not halt, both of us shall meet our ends."

With no choice, Makarov ended the Fairy Law. But now he was focused on the ancient figure before him. He spoke in disbelief, "It cannot be…!"

Hades smirked, "Been a while, brat."

"Master Purehito…" Makarov whispered.

**/**

Natsu faced the stranger with Elfman and Evergreen behind him.

Whoever the man was, his power startled the Salamander. Every tree or living thing around them was dead or dying.

Evergreen narrowed her eyes at him as he continued to cry, "What a creep…"

Natsu shut her up with a glare, before facing the man again, "Who are you?"

The stranger was silent for a time before he whispered, "You've grown up…"

Natsu stared at him, not at all liking where this was going.

The man let a small smile appear on his face, "I've wanted to see you for a long time…Natsu-"

The Salamander lunged forward and struck him in the face, sending him flying backwards. Natsu growled, "I don't know you. What's your name?"

To his surprise, the man recovered from his attack effortlessly, appearing completely unharmed. Natsu took a step back. _This guy…What's his deal? He doesn't seem dangerous, but that black wave earlier…and his movements…who IS he? _

His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, but the stranger grabbed the sides of his head again and started to moan, "Get…away! It's coming…the Death Predator…Run!" he screamed as another wave of black magic ripped it's way free of his body.

Natsu whipped around with a roar at Elfman and Evergreen, "Get outta here!"

They flinched and ran off, Natsu behind them. But the wave caught him and dragged him in.

Every nerve in his body felt like a live wire, it was the creepiest sensation he'd ever experienced. Natsu coughed as the magic dissipated and left his throat dry.

He looked around, but the stranger was gone.

Elfman rushed up, "Natsu! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah…I'm okay." he coughed.

Evergreen gasped, "What the hell?! What's with your scarf?!"

Natsu blinked and looked down at his scarf. To his shock, he realized it was black instead of white.

Elfman shuddered, "Who the hell was that? That magic took away life…"

Natsu got up shakily, "I don't know, but we have to warn the others. With a guy like that running loose…"

Evergreen conceded the point, "Then you get to the camp and have Wendy check you over. We'll see if we can find the others and warn them."

The Salamander nodded, and they separated.

**/**

Sting watched as someone flew over the island and dropped countless orbs into the sky above them. As the orbs grew closer, they swelled in size and shattered to release humans from each and every one of them. They came bearing weapons of all shapes and sizes, but Sting wasn't in the mood for them.

One of them made the mistake of swinging a sword at Wendy, and the White Dragon snapped.

He punched the man away and activated his White Drive as he shouted, "Lector, Happy! Get Wendy and the other's back to the camp! Stay with Mira; I'll deal with these punks."

Lector nodded nervously, "Got it. Be careful!"

Sting's only reply was to roar, "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" He released several ribbons of light from his hands that exploded as they made contact with the enemy.

The attackers backed up quick, giving the exceed the chance they needed to get airborne and leave.

The White Dragon cracked his knuckles, fangs bared in a feral snarl, "Now, who should I break first?"

**/**

Gajeel let loose like a storm. He tore through the grunts like paper, but then he and Levy were faced by two odd individuals that looked more animal than human.

One a brown goat, and the other a white rooster.

Levy glared at them, "You guys are from Grimoire Heart. What are you doing here?"

"What does it matter? Let's just kick their asses and look for more!" Gajeel growled.

The goat unsheathed his katana, "You will regret challenging two of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. We have come to hunt the faeries on this island. You shall be the first."

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow, "Ohh? Sorry, but you're looking at a dragon. _Nothing _hunts me, especially not a pair of overgrown barn animals."

**/**

Mirajane and Lisanna fought back the grunts of Grimoire Heart with little effort, but then a tall man appeared from the forest, "All of you, leave this place. Go find Zeref."

The grunts left without a second thought. The man narrowed his eyes at them and sighed, "Am I only going to get to fight girls and cats today?"

Mira was alarmed, "Cats?"

"What did you do to Wendy and the exceed?!" Lisanna cried.

The man shook his head, "No, it was just a large black cat and an irritating man from the magic council. The girl and other cats, I left unharmed."

Mira glared at him, "What's this about Zeref?"

The man shook his head again, "It doesn't concern you. As a member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, please attempt to give me, Azuma, a decent challenge."

Mira and Lisanna charged him together.

**/**

"Cana, I really think we should have stayed with Rogue and Yukino…" Lucy protested.

Cana shook her head, "No, this way, we can clear up the enemies faster and get back to the exam."

"That was not a wise decision."

The two girls whipped around in the ruins they ran through and saw a white goat standing on the peak of a half-destroyed building.

Lucy stuttered, "A-a goat?"

Cana frowned, "What is this? I'm feeling this weird magic power."

The goat held a hand out, "Meh name is Caprico. I am a member of Grimoire Heart's strongest mages, the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Both of you shall fall to meh."

Lucy pulled out her Fleuve d'etoiles, while Cana whipped out a couple of cards.

**/**

Rogue and Yukino stared at the woman before them. The Shadow Dragon had almost called her Ur, since they could have been twins.

"Who are you?" Yukino asked slowly.

The woman smirked, "I am the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, Ultear."

That convinced Rogue, "I see. You are…related to Ur…are you not?"

Ultear glared at him, the smile fading away, "Do not use that woman's name in front of me unless you wish to meet your end most painfully."

"I don't care what your deal is. You're the enemy, so we'll crush you." Rogue hissed.

Yukino pulled out a Gate Key and whispered, "En garde…"

**/**

Wendy and the exceed were almost to the camp, but suddenly, a flurry of magic blades shot them out of the air. The exceed hit the ground and rolled in pain.

Lector's tail twitched furiously as he hissed, "What the heck?! Why does it hurt so bad?!"

Wendy stared after the direction of the blades. A girl about her age walked towards them.

She spoke softly, "Target identified: Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slayer. Begin execution."

Wendy stood up and glared at her, "I guess I have no choice. I'll defeat you and go."

**/**

Elfman and Evergreen stared at the big white man as he stuttered ridiculously fast.

It started to give Elfman a headache, so he bellowed, "Dammit, say something straight, or don't say anything at all! It isn't manly to stutter."

Evergreen rolled her eyes, "Let's just beat him. He's obviously the enemy, so let's get it over with." Elfman growled, "I know that! Let's go!"

They charged the still stuttering man.

**/**

Gray and Ur ran through the forest, blasting enemies with ice wherever they went. Ur was getting more and more frantic as the fighting continued. She looked around her desperately, "I know this presence…I have to find her!"

"Whoa, Ur! Calm down!" Gray said.

Ur shook her head, "I'm sorry…But this feeling, it's…"

"I don't know what's got you so riled up, but let's clear these rats out and we can hurry, okay?" he pleaded.

Ur nodded, "Okay." They fought furiously, crushing the grunts of Grimoire Heart with an increased pace.

**/**

Erza watched the exceed get shot out of the sky by the glowing swords, and shouted, "Juvia! We're going that way!"

Juvia nodded, "Understood!"

**/**

Sting finished crushing the grunts and ran off into the forest, sniffing like a bloodhound. He caught a familiar scent on the wind and raced after it, sniffing again to be sure. _Lucy. Cana, too…and someone else. The enemy? _He redoubled his pace, exploding into his White Drive again for a speed boost.`

**/**

Lucy and Cana weren't in the best place at the moment.

Caprico dodged all their attacks somehow, and it was getting frustrating. He hadn't attacked them at all, and instead let them wear themselves out.

Cana gritted her teeth, "Dammit, what's with him?!"

Caprico was expressionless, "You are powerless before meh. But you are lasting longer than I thought. I will eliminate you myself."

He rushed forward and elbowed Cana in the stomach, making her double over and cough.

Lucy yelled in panic, "Cana!"

"Do not let your guard down." Caprico murmured as he lunged at her as well.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut to intercept the kick coming at her, but a glowing light suddenly appeared and knocked Caprico back. Lucy and Cana stared as Leo walked forward, straightening his tie, "I had a feeling you were in trouble."

Lucy was ecstatic, "Leo!"

Caprico narrowed his eyes behind the glasses, "A Spirit Mage…No, you're…"

"None of your concern. Lucy, get out of here. I'll deal with him." Leo interrupted.

Cana grabbed her hand before she could protest, "Trust him, let's get going!" Lucy followed her, albeit reluctantly.

Caprico's mind was racing. "Lucy…?"

"Your guard's down!" Leo yelled and lunged at him, forcing the goat to backtrack. _I have to buy Lucy time before he figures it out. _Leo thought.

**/**

Lucy and Cana ran together, but Cana stopped them after a little while, "Lucy, did you figure out where the grave was?"

She nodded, "E Path. It was tricky to figure out, but…I…"

Her eyes started to close and she fell asleep. Cana stepped past her and put the SLEEP card away. "Sorry, Lucy. But I must become an S-Class mage…" She ran off into the forest alone.

**/**

Sting followed the scent for a while before he found her. Lucy was alone, lying unconscious on the ground. The White Dragon's heart missed a beat as he took it in.

He dropped to his knees and picked her up, shaking her shoulders, "Lucy! Wake up, dammit!"

The blonde girl's eyes twitched, but she didn't awaken. To Sting's relief, she wasn't hurt, but that was about to be the least of his worries. It started to rain, but he heard something like a waterfall…_approaching them. _

Sting turned to see rain pouring down with great intensity around a tall man, who walked towards them slowly. A sudden pressure in the air made the White Dragon gasp. _This guy…! Just his aura is this strong?! He could match Gildarts…! _

The man stopped short of them a few meters. He started to murmur, "I wonder if you can fly…?"

Sting recovered from his shock and swallowed nervously, clutching Lucy closer to him. "What do you mean?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't tremble.

The man was silent for a time before he sighed, "No…You may be a dragon, but…you still can't fly…Fall." He put his hand out and suddenly the pressure magnified.

Sting was almost thrown into the ground, but he stopped himself with his arm. He stared at the man before him, and realized just how bad a situation he was in. Lucy, unconscious, and him, alone, against a man who's power could rival that of the strongest man in Fairy Tail. Sting bared his fangs and hissed in defiance.

**/**

_The skies over Tenrou Island were dark and stormy by then. War settled over us, and we fought with everything we had. But it got so much worse before it got any better. I never imagined I would see them all defeated…but they were. They were all dragged down to earth. _

_-Lucy Heartfilia_


	6. Pride

**Okay, so plz don't kill me for removing Leo and Caprico's fight, it's just I needed Leo badly for this chapter(You'll see why when you read). Anyway, this chapter is really intense, but I'm just getting warmed up, so I hope you can handle what's to come! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 6: Pride_

Sting was trying to keep himself from being totally crushed. That was difficult to do with just one arm, since the other was preoccupied with holding Lucy. He glared at the man who looked down on them with contempt. Sting tried to look defiant and fearless, but it was hard in his situation.

When he hissed at the man, his enemy snorted, "Don't try to act tough. As surprised as I am that you can actually sit up in my gravity, I suppose that's to be expected of the White Dragon."

Sting's eyes widened, "You know…who I am?"

"Thanks to Azuma, there isn't a soul in Grimoire Heart who doesn't. He's determined to battle and defeat every Dragon Slayer there is in your guild. You've all made quite an impression on him, you see. He told us to leave you to him, not that anyone, least of all me, will listen. Only Hades gives me orders. I am second-in-command of Grimoire Heart, Bluenote Stinger. Remember me when you enter the afterlife. But first…" Bluenote crossed his arms and held his head high as he spoke, "Where is the grave of Mavis Vermillion?"

The White Dragon growled at him, "Even if I knew that, do you actually think I'd tell you?"

Bluenote's mouth curled in a dark smile, "That would depend on the circumstances. Remember, I tried asking you nicely."

He held a hand up and Lucy was ripped from Sting's grasp and held up in midair, arms spread out crucifix style.

Sting froze. "What are you doing?" he asked, fearing the answer.

Bluenote put a hand on the floating girl's back, right between the shoulder blades.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open, and she stared down at the White Dragon for a moment, blinking in confusion, "Sting? What's..going…" The girl trailed off as she turned her head and saw Bluenote behind her.

The second-in-command of Grimoire Heart smirked, "Let's see if the truth is in your words, White Dragon. I'm sure…you've at least heard of this game before."

Sting could see the fear in Lucy's eyes, could _hear _her heartbeat hammering from where he sat. But try as he might, he couldn't stand. All he could do was _watch. _

Bluenote's smirk faded and he fixed the White Dragon with an expressionless look. "Pride…the fatal flaw of dragons. And Dragon Slayers, it would seem. I asked without giving you pain White Dragon, but if your pride is what holds you back, than perhaps I'll have more luck asking a girl with _no _pride."

Sting half-expected Lucy to start screaming in pain, but that wasn't what happened. Bluenote's hand created a tiny sphere of gravity that started to pull and tear at her clothing. The back of Lucy's shirt was in tatters within seconds. Sting realized with horror what Bluenote meant. _No pride…_No.

Oh god, no.

The White Dragon forced himself to his feet, but the gravity intensified and smashed him into the ground.

Bluenote read him like a book; he'd seen it all before.

The dark mage did make sure he could still watch, much to both Sting and Lucy's terror. The White Dragon's muscles were screaming from fighting against the force pushing him down, but he still rose to his hands and knees, and eventually to a kneeling position.

At that point, Lucy's shirt was left with barely enough to cover her front half- the back was totally gone, and her stomach was exposed from the chest down. The swimsuit she wore underneath was still in place, though Sting suspected Bluenote was just killing time to indulge himself. Lucy was shaking in terror, staring at him desperately.

Bluenote smirked yet again as Sting slowly rose to his feet, fighting the gravity. "Such pointless effort. Is this sight familiar to you, White Dragon? Or does more need to go?" Sting hissed in fury as his words made Lucy flinch. The dark mage shrugged, "I can take everything, or you can answer me. Where is the grave of Mavis Vermillion? I won't ask again."

The White Dragon's mind was racing. _What do I do? I don't know where the grave is…_

He opened his mouth to say _something_, but Bluenote glared at him, "I believe you already said you don't know. I asked the girl."

Sting stared into Lucy's eyes, trying to reach her somehow with a silent plea. _Just lie. He won't know any better. _

Lucy trembled at his gaze and swallowed a lump past her throat. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, before she gave Sting a fierce look. "I refuse." she answered.

Sting's heart missed a beat. Bluenote raised an eyebrow, "What was that?"

"I said no. I won't tell you." Lucy said.

Bluenote studied her for several seconds, before he formed a grin that made Sting's blood run cold. It was a hungry look. "Interesting. That's a fiery attitude for a girl with everything at stake." he drawled.

Lucy kept her eyes on Sting's as she answered him, "My guild is at stake. It's a small price to pay."

Bluenote put a hand on her shoulder and started to slowly slide it down her bare back, "Well, if that's how you feel. If all the women of Fairy Tail are like this, it seems I'll be enjoying myself quite a bit."

The White Dragon roared at him with fury, but the dark mage slammed him back into the earth.

Lucy took a shuddering breath as Bluenote's hands found either side of her neck.

Sting's mind was screaming. _Get up! Get up, get up, GET UP!_

She tried to smile at Sting, tears rolling down her face. "Sting, I-"

**"LION BRILLIANCE!"**

A golden light filled the area, shining with incredible force. Bluenote recoiled, raising his hands to ward it off and stepped away from Lucy. Sting felt the gravity falter for a second.

He'd never moved so fast in his life.

Sting was little more than a blur, grabbing Lucy and leaping backwards before Bluenote could recover. He skidded back on the ground to stop himself once they were a good distance away.

Leo followed, appearing in front of them as they retreated from the dark mage, but never taking his eyes off of him. "I won't ask how you got here, but I don't think I've ever been happier to see you." Sting said.

The Lion Spirit flashed a quick glance at him, "Caprico's out of the picture. Is she all right?"

The White Dragon nodded. Lucy threw her arms around Sting and buried her face in his shoulder. She was crying her eyes out, but out of fear or relief, he couldn't tell. She sobbed, "That was really scary…"

"Shh." Sting tried to soothe her, but she was shaking like a leaf. His and Leo's eyes found Bluenote with hatred they didn't even try to hide.

The dark mage smirked, "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy you got the girl back? I didn't even do anything. You should be grateful to me."

Sting barely had the restraint to keep himself holding Lucy and not charge roaring blood and murder at the man. As it was, he growled and activated his Dragon Force, the scales lining his face making him look like a beast beyond any negotiations.

Leo eyed him carefully, then turned back to Bluenote, tossing a comment over his shoulder, "Try not to blast me."

"No promises." Sting hissed, giving Lucy a tight squeeze before releasing her and stepping away from the Spirit Mage.

He whispered as he passed her, "Get back and don't get involved. Ask Virgo for some new clothes, if you can."

Lucy hugged him from behind, but she didn't try to stop him. Instead she whispered in his ear, "Please, be careful."

The White Dragon just nodded as she released him, and he joined Leo at the spirit's side.

Bluenote laughed, "One more maggot won't change anything. I'll crush you both slowly, and _then _I'll break that girl completely."

"Over my dead body, you bastard." Sting growled venomously.

**/**

Mirajane and Lisanna skidded back after dodging another of Azuma's explosions. The dark mage was getting bored, barely putting any effort in anymore, but his attacks were made no less deadly.

Azuma grunted half-heartedly, "Would it be so terrible to just let yourselves be defeated? I have my own prey to hunt, not just Zeref."

Mira glared at him, "I don't like the sound of that. What, 'prey'?"

The dark mage sighed in exasperation, "I'll spell it out for you, so you can understand. Your guild has quite a reputation as the strongest in Fiore, and while there are many mages that are worthy of note, five of them have piqued my interest. The Dragon Slayers."

Lisanna's eyes widened momentarily, but then hardened again. "What do you want with them?" she asked slowly.

Azuma spread his arms out to either side, "Isn't that obvious? To make my blood race in battle like never before! The Dragon Slayers are regarded as the core of your guild; I wish to experience their power in combat first-hand. Their Dragon Force spell has become a legend in the ranks of Dark Guilds since Rogue Cheney killed Master Zero with it. And I couldn't forget just how far Gajeel Redfox and Sting Eucliffe got using it against Ur Milkovich and Laxus Dreyar."

Mira narrowed her eyes, "You would fight them just for enjoyment?"

The dark mage nodded, "I would do anything to battle the dragons."

Lisanna spun towards her sister, "We can't let him go after them. Mira, use Satan Soul!"

Now Azuma's eyes narrowed, "Satan Soul?"

"That isn't a spell I can use repeatedly, Lisanna. I'm still recovering from my fight with Elfman." Mira said.

Azuma judged her quietly for a moment before he started to speak slowly, "Satan Soul…and two sisters. Then..could it be? Are you the Demon Mirajane?"

Mira's eyes were frosty, "That's an old name. I don't use it anymore."

The dark mage smiled and cracked his knuckles, "Perhaps, but I would like to request a formal match with the Demon."

Lisanna glared at him, "Don't underestimate Mira!"

"Lisanna, get out of here!" Lisanna stared at her sister as she continued, "This man…is extremely powerful…"

Azuma glanced between them for a moment before he sighed, "I would really rather not do this, but…" He held a hand out at Lisanna. Huge roots burst out of the ground and wrapped around her. A timer with 180 seconds was on the front.

As Mira watched, the timer started to count down. She rushed to her sister and tried to get her free.

Lisanna gasped, "It's…too tight!"

Azuma started towards them, "Whoa, there! I wouldn't put anymore pressure on that!"

"You coward!" Mira screamed at him.

Azuma's eyes were dead-set, "I asked you to fight, Demon. If this is what it takes, then so be it. Beat me in three minutes, or the bomb explodes."

Mira lunged at him, exploding into her Satan Soul. _I don't think I can keep this up for long…But I have to beat him! _She kicked Azuma in the stomach with incredible force.

He grinned painfully as he was sent backwards, "This is it! This sensation…it's the best!" He held a hand out at her, "Bleve!"

The Demon was engulfed by an explosion.

Lisanna screamed, "MIRA!"

Mira's wings erupted from her back and she flew at the dark mage again, engaging him in a rapid flurry of close combat. But no matter how quick and hard she hit, he would block every attack she threw at him.

Azuma laughed as they passed the two minute mark, "That's it, Mirajane! Give it everything you have!" He sent her flying by smashing several roots into her stomach, before swinging his hand down in a slashing motion, "Burst Claw!" Several blades of energy crashed into her and exploded on impact.

Mira flew out of the top of the cloud it created and formed a sphere of dark energy in her hands before launching it at Azuma in a beam. "Soul Extinction!" she yelled.

Azuma crossed his arms over his chest as the attack landed.

Mira flew to the ground and kneeled, panting. The smoke cleared and revealed Azuma surrounded by huge, half-destroyed roots acting as a shield. She was shocked. _I gave it everything I had…! It did nothing?! _She glanced at the timer, and her heart lurched when she saw twenty seconds left.

Azuma saw her turn and held a hand out. Roots shot from the earth once more and wrapped around her arms and legs. "Chain Burst!" he bellowed.

The roots exploded on her, and sent her flying away. Mira rushed at Lisanna in desperation, but there was only three seconds left.

Her heart was in her mouth. _I'm not going to make it! _There was a blur of black, andthe timer hit zero.

_BOOM!_

The explosion was total overkill.

Mira screamed at the top of her lungs, "LISANNA!"

There wasn't a sound for several moments, save the crackling of the flames.

Azuma watched her carefully, "You weren't strong enough. Will you now fight out of revenge?"

"Revenge? That's no reason."

The fighting mage's eyes whipped to the cloud of smoke, as it was blown away and the flames were drawn to a single point.

Mira's eyes grew huge as she saw Natsu carrying Lisanna in his arms, devouring the flames. Her body went numb with relief, but then she grew worried. "Are you two okay?!"

The Salamander nodded, "Yeah, I just managed to cover the blast for the most part. I'm going to need a new shirt, though."

Mira realized that his shirt was almost completely gone, blasted apart from the explosion, but Natsu looked relatively unharmed, if just a little shaken. _Thank god for fire immunity, _she thought.

Lisanna looked a little shaky too, but was more focused on the Salamander to notice her condition. She put a hand on Natsu's bare chest, "Are you alright?"

Natsu met her eyes, giving her that cheesy grin that made her melt, "I'm fine. That was a little too close."

Lisanna wanted to kiss him right there, but Azuma interrupted them, "Totally unharmed from an explosion of that caliber…Very impressive. You must be Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander. Am I wrong?"

Natsu studied him, dark eyes only briefly flickering with anger, "You're right. What about it?"

Azuma smiled, "You have no idea how thrilled I was to hear you returned. Between you and Gajeel Redfox, many wonder who is the strongest Dragon Slayer. Two years ago, the answer would invariably have been you, but I wonder now…"

"If it's a fight you want, you don't have to ask." Azuma's eyes widened as Natsu gently set Lisanna down and walked towards him, his body lighting up with wildfire. The Salamander's eyes were like coals of smoldering rage as he growled, "I'm already all fired up…"


	7. Envy

**Okay, another chapter! I got to go home early today, so I plan on getting out another chapter tonight. It's gonna be a big one, with some serious stuff going down, so look out for it! If you haven't guessed after this chapter or the next, the names of these coming chapters are based on the seven deadly sins. Kind of suits Grimoire Heart, doesn't it? What with the Seven Kin of Purgatory and all. In a way, I think it also relates to the Dragon Slayers. Thanks for Reading!**

_Chapter 7: Envy_

Gajeel and Levy were back to back, facing off against Yowazu and Kawazu.

The two Kin were studying them quietly, as if searching for a weakness. Gajeel cracked his knuckles and growled, "Are you coming, or aren't you?"

Yowazu fixed him with a dark look, "Do you not know to observe your enemy before battle, Black Steel?"

"I already know what I have to. Your magic power's high, but still aint' close to my level. And that's assuming I just fight like this." Gajeel smirked.

Yowazu laughed unexpectedly, "Perhaps. But even you can't take down both of us at once."

Levy glared at him, "Don't forget about me."

"Oh, I haven't. Let's get started, shall we?" Yowazu unsheathed his blade and slashed at the air, creating a symbol. The clearing was suddenly filled with deafening noise.

Gajeel clapped his hands to his ears in pain, "It's damn loud!"

Levy saw Kawazu lunge forward, swinging a clawed hand. She quickly turned to Gajeel, "Look out!" But the Dragon Slayer didn't respond. Levy tried again, but when he didn't move, she realized the problem. _He can't hear me! _

Knowing that, she grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him to the side. Gajeel's eyes went wide as Kawazu flew past him, but the bird-man spun in midair and kicked him in the chest with a taloned foot. Black Steel went flying, dragging Levy with him.

Levy rolled to her feet and moved her hands to create a word in midair. She shouted against the deafening sound, "Solid Script: Silent!" The words flew into Yowazu's symbol and exploded, destroying it.

Gajeel winced, ears still sore, "It's back to normal."

Yowazu bellowed at her, "You cancelled my word?!"

"I heard that!" Gajeel roared, turning his arm into an iron pillar and smashing it into Yowazu, who barely managed to block it with the flat of his katana.

Kawazu leaped into the air at Levy with a squawk, "Egg Buster!" He spat dozens of projectiles in the shape of eggs from his beak, but Levy was ready for him.

She waved her hand in the air again. "Solid Script: Fire!" Blazing words appeared in front of her and roasted the eggs, much to Kawazu's despair.

Yowazu recovered from Gajeel's attack and brought his sword back before swinging it at the Iron Mage with a wild cry, "Slash!" A symbol appeared on the blade and extended the it's reach.

Gajeel turned his arm to iron and blocked the attack, though to his shock, it actually cut his steel limb.

As Yowazu rushed forward, stabbing like a madman, Kawazu jumped again and screeched, "Egg Rain!" Levy created more flames, but there were too many of the eggs. Some of them made it past her barrier and cracked open, released fists of energy that pounded into her.

Yowazu shouted, "Stab!" His katana extended again and smote Gajeel in the side. The Iron Mage fell to one knee, clutching the wound as he gasped for breath. Yowazu brought his sword back with a whisper, "Dark Sword…"

Levy was on the ground, watching with horrified eyes. She whimpered, "No…please…"

"Crying Bite!" Yowazu bellowed, rushing forward and slashing Gajeel across the chest. Black Steel crashed to the earth on his back.

Levy screamed, _"GAJEEL!"_

Yowazu harrumphed, "If they're all at this level, there won't be much glory today."

"Is that right?" The man-beasts' eyes widened as Gajeel stood up, cracking his neck. He looked over his shoulder with a smirk, body covered in dragon scales, "Is that all you've got?"

Levy almost fainted from relief. The Iron Dragon must have gone into Dragon Force at the last second to avoid severe injury.

Yowazu was surprised to say the least.

Gajeel rather enjoyed the look of utter shock on his face. "What's up? Did you actually think you had me beat? As if. Salamander and the White Dragon would never let me hear the end of it if I lost to a fat goat and an overgrown rooster."

Yowazu's eyes darkened in anger, "You will regret those words."

Suddenly, Gajeel was in his face.

The goat-man's eyes widened as Black Steel hissed, "I've had enough of you flappin' your gums. Get ready for an ass-kicking!" He punched Yowazu in the gut and sent him flying.

Kawazu kicked at him again, but Gajeel dodged and lunged at him. "Iron Dragon's Sword!" Black Steel shouted and slashed at the bird-man, smashing him through several nearby trees.

Levy was ecstatic, "You did it!"

"Course' I did. Who do ya think you're talkin' to?" Gajeel scoffed.

He started to walk away, but Yowazu started laughing on the ground. "Interesting! So that's Dragon Force? As Azuma said, it's impressive. But it's not the only spell of it's kind."

Gajeel turned back around, staring at the goat-man as he struggled to his feet and pointed his sword at him. Kawazu also got up, but crossed his arms over his chest. Yowazu's katana started to glow, followed by his whole body.

Levy's eyes widened as Kawazu mirrored him, "Wh-what is that?!"

Yowazu tossed his helmet aside as two curved horns grew from his head. His body changed drastically, becoming much more muscular. His katana was transformed into a huge battle-axe. He grinned viciously, "Beast Essence: Minotaurus."

Yowazu underwent a similar transformation, his beak becoming sharper and his claws more deadly. His feathers turned dark brown, and his rooster qualities disappeared, looking more and more like a hawk. "Beast Essence: Peregrine." he cackled.

Gajeel sensed their magic power rise substantially, enough for him to keep his eyes locked on them as he muttered to Levy, "Hey, get out of here."

Levy was shocked, "What? But-"

"These guys are beyond you, now. Leave em' to me." Gajeel growled. Levy stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

As she started to run, she turned back for a second, "Gajeel!"

"Get going! What are you-!" An IRON word dropped in front of him, with a little heart in the, 'o'.

Levy ran, calling over her shoulder, "Be careful! Please!"

Gajeel grabbed the iron and started to chow down, feeling his power swell.

Yowazu and Kawazu didn't even try to go after Levy as she raced away.

When Gajeel was ready, he faced them again, assessing the situation briefly. _Thanks to the shrimp, I can hold Dragon Force for my full five minutes, but these guys…their magic power just shot through the roof. It's not gonna be easy taking them down two on one, but I doubt they can hold their spell any longer than I can. So hit hard and fast, simple enough. _

Gajeel got ready to charge the beast-men, but then Kawazu vanished into thin air. Black Steel didn't even have time to blink before the bird-man punched him in the chest. Gajeel skidded back, but Kawazu let loose a flurry of punches and kicks at him before jumping back to Yowazu. The bird-man cackled, "Are you surprised at my speed? I'll tell you, in this form, my power doesn't increase, but my speed rises drastically. In the form, 'Peregrine', I can move…up to 300 miles an hour inside a second." Gajeel's eyes widened.

_Three hundre-! There isn't a human alive or dead who could withstand that kind of speed without tearing their body apart! _He pressed his hand against the places where Kawazu had hit him.

_Still…it's true his power didn't rise as much as I thought. I guess the goat/bull one got the power boost if the bird got the speed boost. _Gajeel grinned, "That wasn't bad! Now give me everything you've got!" He charged the beast-men with a maniacal laugh.

**/**

Rogue jumped away from Ultear again as she sent that deadly crystal orb at him once more. He slashed it in half with his katana, but Ultear kept on restoring it every time he broke the thing, and scored another hit.

The Shadow Dragon hissed in pain, but kept his footing and leaped back to where Yukino was standing. She pulled out a gate key with a shout, "Pisces!" She summoned them in the form of mother and child, and the two spirits charged Ultear with water attacks.

Ultear smirked, "Do you ever learn? Time Ark!" The water evaporated into mist and faded away. The Pisces spirits went after her with punches and kicks, but Ultear dodged them effortlessly and leaped away. "Flash Forward!" she commanded. The orb multiplied until there were countless spheres of crystal in the air, before they assaulted the Pisces spirits and made them dissolve in golden light.

Rogue took advantage of Ultear's focus on them and rushed her with his Shadow Drive, slashing with his katana. "Black Sword Art: Shadow Dragon Fang!" he roared, encasing Shadow Steel in a layer of darkness as he swung at the now unguarded woman.

Ultear wasn't that easy to catch though, and she managed to dodge him, even if it was pretty close. "Ah, ah, ah! Naughty boy, using the girl as a decoy to come in for the kill." she laughed.

Rogue growled, "Don't call me a, 'boy'. You're no older than I am. Besides," He suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Ultear, grabbing her shoulder. She turned her head with wide eyes, realizing too late that she'd misjudged him. Rogue's red eyes bore into her with a predatory look. "It's already over." he murmured, bringing up Shadow Steel for a finishing blow.

**/**

Meredy charged Wendy, and the Sky Sorceress got into a fighting stance.

She took a deep breath and cried, "Sky Dragon's Roar!" Her breath was released in a tornado of air, but Meredy rolled to the side and dodged it. Wendy put her arms out to either side with a fierce look in her eyes, "Arms! Vernier!" She rushed Meredy and got in the girls face.

Her eyes widened in shock, but Wendy didn't give her time to be amazed. The Sky Sorceress covered her arms in tornadoes and lashed out with a yell, "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" The twisters caught Meredy and sent her flying into a tree.

Meredy recovered quickly and glared at Wendy, putting one arm straight up in the air. "Maguilty Sodom!" she shouted, creating several blue magic blades in an arc above her head. Wendy's eyes widened as the blades pointed to her and flew forward.

Not missing a beat, she took a deep breath once more, "Sky Dragon's Roar!" A few of the swords were blown away, but one of them caught her on the leg. Wendy was shocked by the pain it caused, and staggered. She stared down at her leg, but was confused when she didn't see an injury. _But how? I'm sure I was cut! _Wendy stared at Meredy, but the other girl's eyes were dark and unreadable.

The Sky Sorceress righted herself and began charging her power again. _I'll figure it out as I go…In any case, I can't afford to get hit like that again, _she thought.

Meredy created more magic blades and sent them flying at Wendy. Deciding to change her battle style, the Sky Sorceress channeled her power into a Vernier spell, racing at Meredy faster than she ever remembered running. She jumped up above her and surrounded her foot in a twister.

Meredy had time to stare in surprise for a moment before Wendy's foot crashed into her face. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy hissed, releasing the tornado from her foot to send the other girl flying.

Meredy skidded back, her expression losing the calm to slight frustration.

Wendy landed and took another deep breath, this time channeling her power to Arms. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" she cried.

Meredy quickly brought her hands up towards the oncoming breath attack. "Maguilty Rays." she murmured. Multiple, yellow blades of magic met Wendy's breath attack and exploded. Meredy narrowed her eyes at the smoke cloud.

She raised her voice a little so it would reach the Sky Sorceress, "It seems your power is greater than I anticipated. Though you are still the weakest Dragon Slayer on this island."

"Maybe I am, but that doesn't make me weak!" Meredy's head whipped up in shock as Wendy dove down at her with arms enveloped in twisters.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" she shouted and scored a clean hit on the other girl.

Meredy was sent flying into a tree with a cry of pain. She dropped to a crouch and glared at Wendy, clutching her left arm with her right.

Wendy stared at her panting, her fangs much longer than normal, "I don't like fighting, but if you threaten my friends, I won't let you get away!"

Meredy was genuinely intimidated for a moment. Then she regained her calm persona, "I see. I should have expected as much from a Dragon Slayer. Azuma's stories about your strength were true, it seems."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me." Wendy growled.

Meredy stood up with a glare, "It was no attempt at flattery. It seems the emotions of Dragon Slayer's are heightened along with the rest of their instincts. How lucky for me."

The Sky Sorceress didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Meredy's eyes darkened, "You'll see what I mean in a moment."

She held her hand out at Wendy. "Sensory Link." she whispered. A beam of violet energy shot forward and wrapped around Wendy's wrist to create a small symbol.

She yelped, but it didn't hurt. Instead, she started feeling…weird. _What the…Satisfaction? _

Meredy's eyes widened, as a similar mark had appeared on her own wrist. She lunged forward and surprised Wendy by kicking her in the stomach.

Wendy coughed and skidded back, but managed to hold her footing. "Wh-what did you just do?!" she gasped.

Meredy held up her wrist, "This is part of my magic, Maguilty Sense. It allows me to connect the senses of people together, so they share pain. Right now, I am connected to Ultear. And you are connected to Rogue Cheney." Wendy's eyes widened in shock as Meredy continued, "Those two are in the middle of a battle right now. I sensed fear from Ultear, so I attacked you to disengage Rogue from his attack. I take it you now feel confusion?"

The Sky Sorceress was speechless. _She's right…_

She could feel waves of confusion emanating from who she assumed was Rogue. Something didn't make sense to Wendy though, causing her to glare at Meredy, "Why Rogue?"

Meredy's face was totally serious, with still-dark eyes as she answered, "Rogue Cheney was about to hurt Ultear. I would never let someone do that. Moreover, you have a close relationship with him as a fellow Dragon Slayer, especially given that you fought together against Oracion Seis. When Ultear beats Rogue Cheney, you shall fall as well. Of course, this goes both ways." She pointed at Wendy, her voice rising to a shout, "I'll prove I can protect Ultear myself! If I beat you, then Rogue Cheney goes down with you. Prepare yourself, Sky Sorceress!"

The two young girls rushed each other with high-pitched battle cries.

**/**

Rogue was about to slash down at Ultear when he felt a sudden pain in his stomach and lurched back. _?! What the hell was that?! _

He and Ultear separated quickly when they realized Rogue had lost his chance.

Yukino stared at the Shadow Dragon in confusion, "Rogue, what happened?" Rogue shook his head in bewilderment, "I'm not sure."

"So, Meredy's at it already…" Ultear murmured, "It seems things have become complicated."

The Shadow Dragon's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

Ultear smirked and held her wrist up. There was a glowing symbol on it. "Look at your wrist, now. There should be a similar symbol." she gestured to his arm. Rogue glanced at his wrist and to his surprise, he found that she was right. Ultear looked almost happy, "This is Meredy's magic, Maguilty Sense. It allows her to connect the senses of two people so they share their pain. Not the physical wounds, though. Meredy's magic doesn't kill; it attacks the sense of pain directly. Of course, to make up for that, the pain her attacks cause is far more excruciating than any normal wound. If she hits whoever it is she's fighting, you will share their pain. Can you keep up with me like that?"

Rogue was stunned, but he thought he recognized the senses of who he was connected to. _Wendy? _The girl was afraid, but not for herself. She knew that Rogue was at stake as well.

The Shadow Dragon glared at Ultear, "I see. But that blade cuts both ways; If I beat you, then this Meredy person falls as well."

Ultear laughed darkly, "That's assuming you win. You got lucky last time, boy. Let's see you move like that again."

Rogue didn't bother to answer. He charged her without another word.


	8. Wrath

**Damn, big chapter. I hope I don't scare the hell out of you guys when you read this. I saw the comments and guesses on the reviews and some messages, and I can honestly say that NONE of you are prepared for this chapter. Try not to have a heart attack; It would seriously break my heart. Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 8: Wrath_

Natsu walked towards Azuma as he tore off the remains of his shirt, eyes dark with controlled anger.

_In a more animalistic way, _Azuma thought, _That controlled rage is far more intimidating than Mirajane's open anger. It's giving me goosebumps. _

The dark mage stared into the Salamander's eyes, "Interesting. You're much more level headed than I expected. Especially when I assumed…"

He glared at Mira as she lunged at him, her eyes widening in surprise when she realized she'd been seen. Azuma caught her in the stomach with a root and sent her flying backwards. The impact forced her out of Satan Soul.

Azuma raised an eyebrow at her coughing on the ground, "Let me finish. Salamander, your level-headedness surprises me considering you have managed to contain your anger when the Demon could not. I was under the impression you were more…impulsive."

Natsu's eyes bored into him, his face just barely giving a hint at the anger raging inside, "I learned a lot in Edolas. I won't snap easy, but you're starting to push it. What's your name?"

Azuma cracked his knuckles and settled into a fighting stance, "Azuma of the Great Tree Arc, member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Natsu continued to walk towards him, his footsteps leaving small fires in his wake. "Natsu Dragneel the Salamander, Fire Dragon Slayer and former Captain of the Edolas Royal Army Second War Division. Here I come, Azuma!"

He roared and lunged at the dark mage, flames exploding from his feet to rocket him towards his opponent. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu rammed into Azuma's chest, making him cough and skid backwards.

Azuma's hand shot forward and he bellowed, "Burst Claw!"

Natsu ran headfirst into the exploding blades, and right out the other side of the blast totally unharmed.

Azuma's eyes widened as he brought his fist back and cloaked it in fire, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He punched the dark mage in the face and sent him flying in the opposite direction.

Azuma recovered and faced Natsu again. He grinned, almost maniacally. "Excellent! It seems you will give me a magnificent challenge; being immune to my explosions is something even Bluenote and Master Hades are incapable of. Come! Make my blood roar until it deafens me!" Azuma let loose a cry of challenge, and Natsu answered.

The Salamander took a deep breath and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Azuma put his hands in front of him and bellowed, "Bleve!" A huge explosion met the breath attack, and the entire area was enveloped in a wave of heat and light.

Lisanna raised an arm out of instinct to protect herself.

Natsu glanced back at her for a second, before he rushed through the remains of the blast to attack Azuma again. He engaged the man in fierce close combat, exchanging punches and kicks.

Natsu head butted him away after a bit, but Azuma reached towards him and wrapped his arms and legs in thick roots. He shouted, "Chain Burst!" The roots exploded, but it just made the Salamander skid back with a hiss.

Azuma pressed him, sending more roots after Natsu, but he cloaked his arms and fire and lashed out in retaliation. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he roared, setting the roots ablaze and burning them to ash. Natsu created a sphere of flame to attack the dark mage.

Azuma grinned and brought his fist back.

The two leaped at each other and met in midair. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu yelled.

Azuma bellowed, "Bleve!"

The resulting explosion was enormous, and it forced Lisanna and Mira to scramble back to the camp to avoid getting caught up.

As Natsu landed, he glanced back at them again, but this time Azuma took advantage of it. "Folium Sica!" he shouted. A huge funnel of leaf blades surrounded Natsu, slashing him several times before he enveloped himself in fire and burned them all.

Azuma grinned at how easily he destroyed his attack, "That's good, Salamander. Don't make it easy for me by letting your guard down. Stay in the here and now, or you'll fall by my hand."

Natsu glared at him, his mind racing. _He's strong. It's lucky that I can take his explosion magic, but I don't think I can beat him in a straight fight. _

He clenched a fist, trying to gauge his magic power. It wasn't very promising.

_I still haven't recovered all the magic power I spent fighting Gildarts. If I go into Dragon Force now, I won't have more than a minute to end this. Should I just keep going at him and see if I can find an opening? _Natsu tch'd and kept his gaze fixed on Azuma, who seemed to be taking his analytical stare as an opportunity to do the same: plan.

"Hey, Lisanna." Mira said.

Lisanna turned to look at her sister, "What's wrong?"

"Does something seem…off…about Natsu?" she asked, frowning.

Lisanna's eyes found Natsu and she stared at him for a while before it hit her. She gasped, "His scarf…"

Mira's eyes widened as she also caught sight of the difference, "It's…jet black!"

Azuma also seemed to notice this and narrowed his eyes, "What have you been doing? There is some incredibly evil magic staining that cloth you wear."

Natsu's hand reached up and grasped the scarf, looking down at it for a moment. "I'm not really sure what happened. That creepy guy did something, but I don't know what."

Azuma's eyes went from slits to wide orbs of shock, "I see. You've met Zeref…"

Lisanna froze. "Zeref?" she choked out.

The dark mage seemed quite surprised, "I'm honestly shocked you survived such an evil spell from Zeref himself, but you are able to fight on like this…Dragon Slayers really _are _made of stern stuff."

Natsu shook his head, "Maybe it was Zeref, maybe it wasn't. I don't know, but that doesn't matter right now." The Salamander made up his mind. His body became covered in crimson scales that arranged themselves in flame patterns over his chest, arms, and face. He growled with now elongated fangs, "I'm done playing with you. I'm serious now."

Azuma's eyes would have widened further if they could, but he ended up grinning, "Finally, Dragon Force…I can't tell you how long I've waited to see this. Come!"

Natsu disappeared in a blur of speed, getting in Azuma's face before he could take a step. The dark mage stared at him in shock for a moment as Natsu growled, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" He kicked Azuma in the gut and sent him flying. Natsu used the momentum of his kick to do a backflip and suck in a mouthful of air.

He let it loose with a shout, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Azuma put his hands out quickly and managed to block the breath attack with a shield of roots, but the Salamander shot past them and grabbed him by the throat. He leaped up and hurled Azuma back into the ground with a burst of flame from his arms. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he yelled.

Before Azuma could recover, Natsu created a sphere of fire in his hands, hissing, "I'm not done with you! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" The Salamander threw down the sphere of flame and created another huge explosion. Azuma used the force to leap backwards, but Natsu was on a relentless attack now. He landed on the ground and wrapped his hands in fire, spinning in a circle. "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" he roared. He unleashed a torrent of spiraling fire blades at Azuma, who crossed his arms over his chest seconds before they exploded.

Natsu stared at the result of the explosion, panting. His Dragon Force dissipated and he almost collapsed from exhaustion.

Lisanna started to run to him, crying out, "Natsu!"

"Stay back!" he gasped.

She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. He caught his breath after a moment and glared at the cloud of smoke. _Did that do it? _he wondered.

The smoke cleared and his eyes widened.

Lisanna gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

Mira could only stare in shock.

Azuma was burnt, but the brunt of Natsu's attack had been taken on a huge shield of trees and roots.

Natsu tch'd. _Dammit! I knew it was going too well! _

Azuma was panting from the pain, but he still managed to grin at the Salamander, "Incredible. That you could pierce this defense and do so much damage to me…I've never enjoyed a battle this much in my life. Let's make it last a little longer, Natsu Dragneel." He stepped out of the remains of his shield and towards the Salamander.

Natsu was shaking after having used so much magic power_…I've only got enough…for one more spell…_he realized, deciding. Natsu's body glowed and when the light faded away, he had Igneo in his hands. He wore his uniform from Edolas; A black jacket with a high collar that cut off just under his chest, light pants with dark stripes on the sides, and black boots.

Lisanna's eyes widened, remembering Pantherlily's words. _He won't use his sword until he runs out of his own magic power. If Igneo breaks in battle against a powerful enemy…I think it'd be safe to say…_

_Natsu…would be lucky to survive._

Natsu glared at Azuma, who looked surprised again at the appearance of the long crimson and orange blade, "Interesting. I had no idea you could wield a blade."

"Another trick I picked up in Edolas." Natsu growled.

Azuma smiled curiously, "What else can you do?"

The Salamander held Igneo to the side and spread his stance out, "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Igneo exploded into blue flame that danced fiercely, as if anticipating battle. "Fire Fang." Natsu murmured.

He vanished for a split second.

Azuma's eyes widened in shock as Natsu appeared in front of him, slashing down with Igneo clad in the blue fire.

Natsu shouted, "Ha!" Igneo cut Azuma at the tip of his right shoulder and cut straight down, instantly cauterizing the slash wound with the blue fire.

Azuma howled in pain and fell to his knees. Natsu jumped away, letting the blue flames continue to dance on his blade.

The dark mage blinked in confusion against the burning pain. _He jumped back. Why? I was helpless; he could have…! Could he…? _

Azuma took a moment to confirm, then faced Natsu with a grim look, "I see."

The Salamander was expressionless, his sword point still facing Azuma. The dark mage stood up and met his dark eyes with determination, "I'm not done. Let's finish this, Salamander."

Natsu studied him for a moment, then closed his eyes with a sigh, "Yeah, I thought you might say that. But let's do this elsewhere…I don't want to fight here…"

Azuma raised an eyebrow, but nodded agreement. He turned and raced towards the forest to the side.

Natsu started after him, then dared to glance back at Lisanna. Her big blue eyes met his dark pair, shimmering with emotion. Then he turned away and chased after Azuma.

Lisanna stared after him, eyes wide. She felt light-headed. She'd seen the message in his eyes as though he'd said it out loud.

_Goodbye…_

_No…no, no, no, no, no! _Lisanna raced after them, even though they were already out of sight. Mira called out for her to wait, but she didn't care. She was frantic. _Don't do it, Natsu! Don't die again, please! _

**/**

After running a while, Natsu and Azuma finally stopped running and faced each other.

Azuma observed the Salamander carefully before speaking, "You wanted a change of scenery so the younger Fairy Sister couldn't watch. Am I correct, or did you assume I would attack her?" Natsu was going to answer, but Azuma held up a hand, "No, I'm wrong in asking that. Of course, we both know there's only one possible answer to that question. Let's put it behind us and end this."

Natsu nodded, "Yeah…" He pointed Igneo at Azuma once again.

**/**

Sting and Leo flew at Bluenote.

The White Dragon hissed as they ran, "He's really strong. We have to knock him out in the first few attacks, so give it everything you have."

Leo nodded, "I got it."

Bluenote crossed his arms as they approached, "What, no flashy distraction? You fairies are a little bland…maybe I won't get to spread my wings today after all, if I have to hold back to keep from crushing you before I've had some fun."

Sting went into a burst of speed from his Dragon Force and got behind Bluenote in a flash.

The dark mage whipped around in surprise, but Leo released a burst of light from his hands. "Regulus Blast!" he shouted.

Bluenote raised an arm and blocked it easily, but Sting punched him in the back with a yell, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!" The dark mage grunted in pain and spun around to grab him, but Sting danced away and dodged his hand.

Leo took the chance to punch him in the jaw with a fist buried in golden light. Bluenote cursed angrily and swatted at him like a fly, but Leo also dodged.

Sting jumped above him with his palms together, gathering light. He growled, "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Missiles of light rained down on Bluenote, not doing much damage, but hurting just enough to be annoying.

He bellowed, "Little shits! I'll crush you-"

"Lion Brilliance!" Leo shouted, releasing a blinding flare of light right in front of the dark mage.

Bluenote howled and covered his eyes.

Sting and Leo seized their chance.

The White Dragon landed beside him and they rushed Bluenote, Leo shouting as they went, "Unison Raid! Now!"

"Right!" Sting growled.

Leo charged his Regulus, while Sting brought one fist back with the other out front, trailing small ribbons of light. Leo's Regulus Impact combined with the Holy Nova to create a roaring gold lion's head with white light propelling it forward.

Sting and Leo struck Bluenote in the chest together, _White Lion's Nova Strike!" _The Unison Raid exploded in a burst of gold and white light that formed a huge shockwave on impact.

Immediately, they jumped backwards and ran back to Lucy. She shrieked as the White Dragon picked her up and bolted, her Lion Spirit close behind.

Lucy shouted at him, "Wh-what are you-"

"We're leaving. Sorry, but there's no way the two of us can take that guy down alone. He's at Gildarts' level, maybe higher."

Leo nodded, "Our best option is to retreat and get the others together before we even think about taking him on."

"Smart. Too bad you brats are slow."

The group whipped around in shock to see Bluenote swing a fist at them.

Sting barely dodged, and Bluenote's fist crashed into the ground to create a massive crater. Lucy yelped as Sting jumped into the air. The White Dragon was stunned. _Shit! I didn't expect to beat him, but he didn't even get scratched?! _

It was true. Bluenote didn't look hurt; he looked pissed as hell. Someone at Gildarts' level was after them, and he was absolutely furious.

What could go wrong?

Bluenote jumped at Sting, but the White Dragon turned in midair and took a deep breath. "White Dragon's Roar!" he shouted. The laser caught the dark mage square in the chest, smashing him into the ground. Sting landed with Lucy still in his arms.

She took a nervous breath, "Um, you can put me down…"

"Put down a half-naked girl in my arms? I don't think so." Lucy's head whipped up to stare at him with a cherry red face that she _swore _was on fire, but the look in his eyes was teasing.

Leo flashed the White Dragon a disapproving look, "Hey, watch it, Dragon Player. That's my master you're talking too."

The teasing look faded from Sting's face and he turned to Leo, "Take her."

Both Lucy and the Lion Spirit looked surprised, "What?"

The White Dragon glanced back at where Bluenote had landed. He hadn't moved yet, but it was only a matter of time. "He's pissed off. I'll draw him away, you get her out of here."

Leo was stunned, but he recovered quickly and nodded, taking Lucy from his arms. Lucy grabbed onto Sting's shirt and she fixed him with a glare, "Don't you dare get yourself killed."

"That wasn't on my agenda, don't worry." Sting replied. Lucy let him go and Leo took off. Sting turned back to where Bluenote was still laying.

The dark mage grunted as he got to his feet and glared at the White Dragon venomously, "Little bastard..I'll crush you like a bug..."

Sting backed up with a growl, "Let's see you try." He turned and ran towards a nearby cliffside. Bluenote raced after him.

**/**

Gajeel was met with a flurry of claws.

They didn't do much to him, but the ax that nearly decapitated him deserved more attention. He grabbed Yowazu's hand and threw him aside for the moment, turning to Kawazu. The bird-man ran circles around him, so he jumped up and roared, "Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!" He rained down a hail of iron on him, but Kawazu dodged them effortlessly, leaping above Gajeel to kick him down to earth.

Yowazu brought the ax down again, barely giving Black Steel the time to dodge.

He jumped back and took a deep breath, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Yowazu swung the ax and blew the breath attack away without batting an eye.

Gajeel's jaw dropped. _Aint' no friggin way…_

Kawazu took advantage of his moment of shock to catch him in the chest and send him flying.

Gajeel sprawled out on the ground and staggered to get up, thinking fast. _These bastards are better than I thought…I'll have to- _

_Crunch._

Gajeel's eyes went wide as something hit him in the back with incredible force and stayed there. He barely had the strength to turn his head and see the handle of…

_Ax…that bastard…threw..the ax…! _

Gajeel couldn't even remove it, just felt a brief tugging sensation when Yowazu walked up and tore the weapon from him. He heard some quiet words from them before he slipped into unconsciousness.

**/**

"Maguilty Sodom!" Meredy shouted. The glowing blue swords flew at Wendy, who leaped aside and created tornadoes on her arms.

She lashed out and sent the blades flying away with a yell, "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" The swords scattered, but Meredy picked one up and rushed her with it.

Wendy took a deep breath, "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The breath attack hit home, but to Wendy's shock, Meredy kept coming, forcing herself to withstand it. When she got over her initial stunned reaction, Meredy was already too close.

The girl brought her arm back and stabbed Wendy in the stomach with the glowing sword. Wendy could only stare at the blade, the pain in her body was too much to register.

Meredy looked down at her, breathing heavily, "Don't worry. This blade will not kill you, but if you manage to fight after this, you'll have earned my respect." Meredy backed away and the blade dissolved into blue light, leaving no wound, but Wendy was done.

She fainted before she hit the ground.

Meredy watched her for a moment, before turning away. "It's ironic, that both Grimoire Heart and Fairy Tail had strong girls our age in them. If I ever meet you again, maybe we could…No. Never mind, it's impossible."

She walked away from the defeated Sky Dragon.

**/**

Rogue was pressing Ultear. Wendy must have been doing something right, because Ultear kept on flinching in pain.

Then he felt utter shock from the Sensory Link and an unbelievable stabbing pain in his stomach.

He doubled over with a howl. _! Wendy! What happened?! _

Ultear caught her breath and started to laugh, "Meredy won. I never doubted her. Which means our battle is over."

Yukino had run out of magic power a little while ago and her eyes widened in shock as Ultear put a fist on her open palm.

The dark mage smiled evilly, "Goodbye, Shadow Dragon. Ice Make: Rosen Corona!" Several frozen vines of thorny roses erupted from the earth and slashed at Rogue. That, along with the agony in his stomach, ended the Shadow Dragon's battle.

Yukino screamed, but Rogue was already down for the count.

**/**

Natsu was on the defense. Azuma was getting the better of him with all his magic power gone.

He sensed Igneo was running dangerously low, as well. True, the explosions didn't hurt, but they were too brief for him to recover his magic power by eating them. And Azuma had wizened up; he started attacking with only leaves, roots, and branches.

In fact, when Azuma wasn't sending leaf blades at him, he had a spear made of wood that he used with remarkable ease. It was a long weapon, and Igneo didn't have the reach to get at him. He decided to risk a flame on Igneo's already drained blade and jumped up, slashing down at Azuma. The dark mage held the spear in both hands and turned it sideways to block. The weapons met-

Igneo shattered like glass.

Natsu and Azuma stared in shock at the remaining hilt, but the dark mage narrowed his eyes and seized his chance. He removed one hand from the spear and cut sideways, tearing through Natsu's skin across his chest.

The Salamander fell to the ground with a cry of pain, completely spent. He stared up at Azuma, but his vision flickered and he couldn't stay awake.

Azuma looked down on him, panting. After he caught his breath he walked up and held the point of the spear over Natsu's throat. But he hesitated and stepped away, tossing the spear aside. Azuma bowed to him, "Thank you, Salamander. Never before has my blood run so wild. You were truly a powerful opponent."

He touched the wound on his chest, noting the burned color. Azuma turned away as he spoke, "It seems…we will not meet again. Farewell, Natsu Dragneel."

The dark mage walked away without another word.

**/**

Lisanna found Natsu as she feared she would. Igneo broken, and him bloodied and unconscious.

She crouched over him, crying her eyes out. When she finally found the strength to speak, her voice was broken and hoarse, "Why did you…"

Lisanna trailed off when Natsu's eyes flickered open for a moment. He reached up and touched her face, gently stroking her cheek. Natsu gave her a weak smile. Lisanna stared down at him, and she tried to smile in return, but she just couldn't.

She buried her face in his chest and sobbed until she couldn't breathe. Natsu rested his hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair as he slipped back into darkness.

**/**

Leo ran for a few minute before he and Lucy couldn't take it anymore. Leaving their comrade to face a monster like Bluenote wasn't their style, so Leo put Lucy down and ran back to where they heard explosions. They were almost there when everything got quiet.

Too quiet.

They reached the edge of the forest and caught side of a cliffside hanging over the ocean as they tried to catch sight of Sting and Bluenote.

Lucy's heart froze when she found them.

Bluenote was standing on the edge of the cliff. He was holding Sting in the air by the collar with one arm.

The dark mage noticed them and smirked, "Came back, eh? Perfect timing."

Lucy could hardly breathe. Sting's eyes were half open, almost rolling into the back of his head. He had bruises over his chest and arms. Lucy watched in horror as Bluenote brought his free hand back and bunched it into a fist cloaked in black energy.

He twisted the hand holding Sting slightly so the White Dragon's back was open to him. Bluenote crashed his fist into Sting's back, directly underneath the shoulder blades-

_Crack._

Lucy heard the sickening noise from where they were standing almost fifty meters away.

Sting dropped like a rock over the edge of the cliff, straight into the water below.

Bluenote harrumphed, "Weird. Usually, they splatter." He turned back to a horrified Lucy and Leo. "Go on after him if ya want. I'm tired of playing with you little brats. I'll look for the grave myself." The man disappeared in a blur.

Lucy ran up the cliff and dove after the Dragon Slayer, Leo right behind her. She swam faster than she ever had, eyes flashing side to side in desperation. Her eyes found him sinking to the bottom, and she dove further down and grabbed his arm. Lucy's lungs were screaming for air, but she and Leo managed to drag Sting out of the water and onto the beach.

She dropped to his side the moment he was clear of the waves. His eyes were closed, and his face pale. Lucy was crying before she knew it. She held his head in her lap, shoulders wracking uncontrollably.

Lucy started to whimper, "Please don't die..please don't die..please…"

Leo was pacing furiously, trying desperately to think of something they could do. But Lucy was lost in her tears.

**/**

_The Devil struck our Dragons down from the sky, one by one. We thought that was it, that it was all over. And it almost was; we came so close to losing everything that night._

_But the morning ended it all._

_-Lucy Heartfilia._


	9. Covet

**I don't know why this chapter took me so long. I guess I had trouble planning it out, but it turned out okay. Anyways, not much fighting here, but a little fluff. Anyways, it's gonna heat up in the next chapter again, so as always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 9: Covet_

"Get Virgo. Do it now." Leo demanded. Lucy was crying her eyes out and didn't hear him at first. Leo walked up and jerked her shoulder, "Lucy! You have to summon Virgo! If you don't Sting really will die!"

Lucy flinched, but nodded and pulled out the gate key.

Virgo appeared and Leo filled her in with what information they had. Lucy could hardly hear them, she was too focused on Sting. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, barely lucid and breathing light and rapid.

Virgo stepped forward and gently pried her away from the fallen Dragon Slayer, "Princess, you have to trust me. We have to do this quick, or the damage could become permanent. Please give me room."

Lucy allowed Leo to move her away from Sting as Virgo carefully turned him onto his stomach and examined his injuries. Lucy held her breath the whole time.

When she was done, Virgo looked over at them, "His back isn't broken, but one of the vertebrae has been forced out of place. It's still connected, so I can set it back in, but it's going to hurt."

Lucy rubbed the sides of her arms worriedly, "Is there anything we can do to make it easier for him?"

Virgo shook her head, "There may be, but there's no time to find out. If I don't set it back immediately, the bone might fix itself like that."

Lucy took a shaky breath and looked down at the ground to calm herself before facing Virgo again. "Please do it, then."

Virgo directed Lucy and Leo to assist. Lucy tore what little was left of her shirt off so she was only in her swimsuit top.

She put it by Sting's mouth and whispered to him, "Bite down. It might help." S

ting barely had the strength to respond, but his jaws closed weakly over the cloth.

She gently moved him to rest his head on her lap. Lucy dared to look at his back and immediately regretted it. She could _see _where the bone had been snapped out of place and surrounded by a huge discolored bruise.

Virgo got ready, so Leo grabbed Sting's arms and pinned them down to restrain him. Lucy stroked his hair with shaky fingers, trying to keep Sting and herself calm.

Virgo nodded, "Alright, here it comes." Lucy watched her set her fist against the dislocated vertebrae for a moment, then she brought it back and rammed her fist against it.

_Snap._

Sting screamed and bit down hard on the cloth, scrabbling desperately to get away. Leo struggled to keep him down as Virgo beat against the bone a few more times to finish small adjustments to the fix.

Lucy started talking to him frantically, trying to keep the White Dragon calm, but it wasn't working. She started crying as his struggles went on.

When Virgo was done, Sting was gasping from pain and shock. Leo released him and he went limp in Lucy's grasp.

Virgo scanned his back and nodded, satisfied. "That should do. He needs to rest for a while, then try moving him to a safer location. I'll get some bandages in addition to some new clothes for the princess." Leo nodded acknowledgement since Lucy was once again focused on Sting.

The Lion Spirit walked a few paces away to scan the area for enemies, just in case Bluenote came back or some other Grimoire Heart member showed up.

Sting rolled painfully onto his back so he could look Lucy in the face. He was still breathing light, but it was getting better. Lucy's expression was contorted in worry. "How do you feel?" she whispered.

He winced before he responded, "Ask me later…I don't know right now." Lucy frowned a little, but it made the White Dragon smirk, "What's with you? I'm not dying…well, not now, anyways."

"…Don't ever do that again." Sting's eyes widened as she started crying. Lucy took a shaky breath, "You scared the life out of me. If I knew you got killed trying to protect me, I'd never forgive myself. You can't go running off like that. Promise me…you won't ever leave again."

Sting just stared at her, "Lucy…"

"Promise." she mumbled. Her face flushed bright red for a moment, "I can't imagine what I would do if I lost you."

Sting flinched. _Lucy…don't…_

She had started to cry again, and Sting didn't have the guts to stop her from acting like that. He swallowed and reached up to cup her cheek with his hand. Lucy stopped crying and stared down at him. The White Dragon offered her a reassuring smile. Lucy blushed and smiled back, placing her hand over his.

Sting took in the moist brown eyes, the flushed cheeks, and the mess of long blonde hair. He felt…weird. Sting realized his heart was hammering and he forced it back under control with a mental curse. _Oh, no you don't! Don't go doing that without my permission! Keep yourself controlled…_

"Get some rest." The White Dragon blinked as Lucy whispered to him, "Leo's watching out for enemies while Virgo's out. Just sleep a little, okay?"

Sting didn't argue with her; he was already exhausted. His eyes closed sleepily, and Lucy's fingers started stroking his hair again. To his irritation, he found that he started to make that purring sound again(secretly Natsu did so as well; he didn't know about the other Dragon Slayers). Lucy seemed to like it though, so he allowed it.

_Just this once…_Sting's vision faded to black as he fell asleep.

**/**

Levy had found the exceed trying to wake up Wendy, and had sent them back to the camp. Pantherlily went with her to go find Gajeel, and both of them were shocked to see the huge cut in his back.

Lily had flown him back to the camp. Levy had been following him when she ran into Erza and Juvia, who had discovered Rogue and Yukino also defeated. Yukino was just exhausted, but Rogue was injured and unconscious. The three of them took the Shadow Dragon and the Spirit Mage back to camp.

Almost immediately after they arrived, Lisanna stumbled back into camp with an unconscious and bleeding Natsu.

Quite frankly, Erza was stunned, "I can't believe this…I could understand Wendy, and even Natsu since he was low on magic power, but Rogue and Gajeel too?"

Yukino shook her head, "Rogue and Wendy were taken down in unison by some kind of body link magic."

Levy sighed, "Still…has anyone heard anything from Sting?"

"Sting was also defeated."

The group turned to see Virgo walk into camp.

Lector was speechless, "Wh-what?"

"Virgo, what happened?" Erza demanded.

The Maid Spirit turned to her, "From what Leo told me, it seems he and Sting went up against a powerful man from Grimoire Heart close to the level of Gildarts Clive. Sting led him away, but was defeated and severely injured."

Mira started with shock, "At the same level as Gildarts? Are you sure?"

Virgo shook her head, "I didn't see him personally, but he was powerful enough to dislocate one of the vertebrae in Sting's back. I managed to set it back in place, although he will be unable to move for some time until he regains his strength."

Lector stepped towards her, "He's okay though, right?"

Virgo's eyes softened as she looked down at the worried exceed, "He will recover. But he's in no condition to fight right now. May I borrow some bandages?"

Erza nodded, "Yes, of course. Are you going back to Sting?" Virgo nodded at her, to which the Requip Mage stepped forward, "Then I will go with you. We need to get him back to camp."

"Juvia will go as well." The Rain Woman said, standing up.

Yukino hung her head in defeat, "I can't believe this…All the Dragon Slayers got taken down..."

"It's not over." Everyone looked at Lily, where the black exceed sat on a tree stump. His eyes had a dark anger in them, ironically, Lisanna realized, an almost identical look she'd seen in Natsu's eyes earlier. Pantherlily growled, "Only one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory has fallen. But we still have Ur and Erza, not to mention ourselves. In addition, almost all of the Kin have taken serious damage. The only ones we need to worry about are this man Virgo mentioned and their Master."

Happy looked around nervously, "Speaking of which, where is Master?"

Mira shook her head, "I don't know. Would you mind searching for him from the air? We need him now."

"I can go..sniff him out."

Everyone's eyes flashed down to Natsu. The Salamander groaned and tried to sit up, but Lisanna pushed him back down with a glare, "Nice try. You're not moving."

Natsu saw the worry behind her anger and gave up. "Okay. By the way…that's two of those Seven…whatever."

Erza blinked in surprise, "I thought that you lost."

Natsu looked to the side, "Well, I did, but…actually, never mind. I wouldn't call it a win, now that I think about it."

He looked uncomfortable, so the others decided not to press the matter.

Virgo headed off with Erza and Juvia. The exceed flew off to go look for Makarov, which left Lisanna, Mira, Levy, and Yukino in the camp along with the wounded Dragon Slayers. Yukino, after a little convincing from Mira, lay down next to Rogue and got some rest. Mira began to make something to eat for the others, while Levy took up the defensive duties. Lisanna allowed Natsu to sit up so long as he was leaning against the tree trunk next to where he'd been sleeping.

She sat down next to him, watching his face carefully for any attempt to hide that he wasn't feeling well(Well by his standards, anyways). He still looked exhausted, but didn't seem to be in pain.

Lisanna wrapped her arms around her knees.

Natsu grinned at her, "Are you okay?"

She blinked, then puffed up one of her cheeks in anger, _"I _should be asking _you _that. What were you thinking?"

Natsu laughed at her expression, but he stopped after a few moments. He looked uneasy, "I didn't know what was going to happen back there…Well, I sorta knew, but I still thought…"

"You weren't thinking at all." Natsu glanced at her in surprise. She was looking down at the ground, biting her lip. "You almost died again. Do you have any idea how much that scares me?" Lisanna looked him straight in the eye, and he was stunned to see that she was actually pretty mad.

He chose his next few words carefully, "It scared me too. I was afraid that Azuma might attack you again if I lost. And I didn't want you to see if…well, you know."

"Do you think that would make me feel better? At least if I saw it, I could be with you when…" Lisanna still looked angry, but her eyes were starting to water up. She took a shuddering breath, "I wouldn't want to just find you lying somewhere."

"That might be better." he murmured.

Lisanna flinched and actually slapped him.

Natsu was shocked, to say the least. He touched the offended area before he looked down, "Sorry, I…Sorry."

"I don't know _what _made you say that, but please, never do it again," Lisanna gasped. She was seriously about to start crying her eyes out.

Natsu wrapped his arms around her. Lisanna hugged him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He felt like a jerk. _Tch. I sound like my brother. That's the excuse he would use, but at least he can back it up. _Natsu snorted at the irony and rubbed Lisanna's back.

She mumbled against him, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I-"

"It's okay. I deserved that one." he interrupted. Lisanna leaned back so she could look into his eyes.

Natsu gave her that cheesy grin and she shook her head, "I can't stay mad at you for anything."

The Salamander snorted, "You can't stay mad at anyone. But that's fine with me." Natsu leaned forward and kissed her. Lisanna gave in and pressed against him, sighing softly. It was short, but it repaired whatever had been damaged between them.

Natsu then leaned his head back and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. Lisanna leaned against him to rest as well.

When Mira walked by a few minutes later, they were both asleep. She thought they looked pretty cute, but Natsu's black scarf made her frown. _Azuma said he'd been attacked by Zeref…Natsu…what have you done to be involved with the most evil mage of all time? As long as you don't get my sister caught up in whatever mess you made, I won't care if you keep it to yourself…but only if Lisanna stays out of it. _

**/**

Erza ran alongside Virgo and Juvia to where the Maid Spirit had left Sting with Lucy and Leo.

They had almost reached them when Erza heard a whirling sound and shoved Virgo and Juvia to the ground in time to avoid getting hit with a flying battle-axe. She glared at the location where it'd come from, "Who goes there?!"

A bull-like man walked forward, grinning, "Yowazu of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Erza narrowed her eyes, "I see. You…are the one who hurt Gajeel."

Juvia glared at the man, "Juvia will not forgive you for hurting her comrade!"

"Go, Juvia!" The Rain Woman glanced at Erza and flinched. Titania's eyes were dark with rage, "I will crush him myself. Get to Sting and bring him back to camp with the others."

"Y-yes Erza!" Juvia and Virgo ran, eager to get away from her wrath.

**/**

Cana saw the grave up ahead. There was a golden light emanating from it. _Finally…I've done it. With this…I can tell my father the truth..._

**/**

Ultear walked through the forest, tracing the slight trails of dark magic she could sense. She put a hand to her chest, "Almost there…I've almost reached Zeref. This path has been long, but I'm almost there."

She heard footsteps behind her and whipped around, with a yell, "Who's there?!"

"You're looking for me...?"

Ultear froze and her eyes went wide. A young man with jet black hair walked forward with a stern look, "I see…so it's you people…you're the, 'seeds of conflict' here…it's sad…" Ultear frowned as Zeref's eyes went dark, "…that you've managed to anger me so much…" A black sphere appeared in his hand.

He threw it at her and Ultear barely had time to dodge. The black magic, whatever it was, ate through a boulder like it didn't exist before it vanished.

Ultear stared in shock.

Zeref created another black sphere in his hand, but Ultear wasn't going to have it. She spotted a sapling on the ground and shouted, "Time Ark!" The sprout grew into a tree that surrounded the Black Mage, immobilizing him.

Ultear smirked. _Got you! _

Zeref lurched and clutched at his head, "No…it's coming again…The Death Predator…!" He screamed as a wave of black magic ripped the tree apart and flew towards Ultear. Ultear held her orb out in front of her and absorbed the attack, though tendrils of black magic tore at her body.

When the wave dissipated, the orb went black and crumbled. Ultear panted, but recovered quickly, "Time Ark: Restore!" The orb came back into her hand, good as new.

The black wave seemed to have drained Zeref, for he stared at her in shock, "Who are you?"

"Luminous Minutes!" she screamed. The orb flew into the air and multiplied before they all slammed into Zeref at blinding speed.

The Black Mage gasped in pain and collapsed.

Ultear glared at him, "Legendary wizard or no, you're power is dormant in your sleeping state. You can't beat me as you are now. But don't worry, Lord Zeref…we possess the keys to awaken you. I'll make you a King."

Zeref growled weakly at her, "Don't…"

Ultear smiled to herself, "I got him…"

"_I got Zeref!"_


	10. Sloth

**OH. MY. GOD. I HATE WRITERS BLOCK! This chapter bit, kicked, and screamed at me the whole way, it was such a pain. And it wasn't even what I had hoped it would be either! Well, after this it's pretty much ALL fighting, so this is the annoying bit out of the way. I'm sorry this took so long! Thanks for putting up with me being a sloth! Get it? Cuz' the chapter's called...Oh, what the hell, I'm not funny, am I? So yeah...Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 10: Sloth_

"I can walk on my own."

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can."

"Well, you're not gonna!"

"Yes I am!"

"No, you're not!"

Leo rolled his eyes yet again as the group headed back to camp.

When Virgo and Juvia had found them, Sting had woken up again, so they used the opportunity to bandage up his most serious injuries and check out his back to make sure it was healing correctly. Once Virgo was satisfied that he could be moved, Leo and Lucy held the White Dragon up between them with his arms over both of their shoulders and started carrying him back to camp.

For the Lion Spirit, however, that meant listening to Sting and Lucy argue back and forth _constantly. _

Sting insisted he was strong enough to walk on his own, but Lucy denied him every time. Leo knew that the Dragon Slayer was too weak to walk on his own, though. Virgo had informed them that Sting's legs were going to be shaky for a bit since he had temporarily lost feeling in them when his spine had been forced out of place.

So right now, the White Dragon's "wings" were clipped.

And needless to say, he was in no way, shape, or form, remotely happy about it.

This somewhat confused Leo.

He flashed a glance at Sting, "Oi, Dragon Player, shouldn't you be happy my Master's bothering to carry you herself? My romantic intuition tells me you've got a thing for her, don't try to deny it."

Lucy's face went light red, "L-Leo! Stop that!"

Sting growled at him, "Shut up! I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own!"

"Why would you want to walk on your own, when you could have a beautiful girl help you on your way?" Leo asked with a smirk.

The White Dragon glared at him as Lucy again stammered, "Enough, Leo! You're not helping!"

Sting huffed and looked straight forward, avoiding both Lucy's and Leo's gazes. "Your, 'Romantic Intuition' must be broken or something. Or maybe you've just confused me for yourself, playboy." he finished with a hiss.

Juvia looked over her shoulder at the Dragon Slayer in surprise, "Really? Juvia was under the impression that you and Lucy were an item after that party. Was Juvia mistaken?"

At this point, Lucy's face was covered in blush, but Sting kept his expression cool and under control, even if his eyes gave a little exasperation away, "Item. Really, now. Yes, Juvia, you were mistaken. My brother was just pulling a stupid prank to get back at me for some stuff I did to him a while back."

The others stared at him for a moment, but Virgo was suddenly interested, "Princess, does that mean I should punish Natsu when we arrive at camp?"

"No, it does not!" Lucy snapped.

Virgo nodded, "Punishment for Sting, then?"

Sting whipped his head to the side and raised an eyebrow, "Why the hell would you punish me?"

The Maid Spirit returned his gaze calmly, "If Natsu was not the culprit, then that means you were the one attempting to defile the Princess."

_"Defile-Wait-Excuse me?!" _Sting spluttered.

Leo sniggered, "Yeah, Sting. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself when you woke up back then."

"B-both of you shut up!" Lucy wailed now that her face was steaming from heat.

The White Dragon couldn't seem to decide whether to present his death glare to Virgo or Leo. He finally growled in exasperation and pulled himself free of Leo and Lucy's grasp. Sting managed to walk a few paces before his legs gave way. He would've face planted in the earth if Leo and Lucy hadn't already run up and caught him.

The Lion Spirit sighed mockingly, "Too bad. Guess you're stuck with us."

"Oh, piss off." Sting hissed.

Lucy frowned at him, "What's gotten into you?"

The White Dragon shook his head, "Never mind. Let's just get back to camp." He refused to say anything else, so the group just trudged along.

**/**

Cana read the inscription upon the grave, "One of the three great Fairy Magics, Fairy Glitter, is stored here…Hold on…I don't want magic! Where's the Master?! I've finally made it here, I passed the exam!"

She reached forward and touched the light emanating from the grave. A shock ran through her hand and she gasped as images flew through her head.

There was Wendy, impaled with a glowing blue sword…

Rogue immediately followed her, cut with thorns of ice…

Then Gajeel, falling with a battle-axe protruding from his back…

Natsu next, slashing at an enemy she couldn't see, before he too, was cut down and fell…

Then it was Sting, getting beaten down by an overwhelming force before Cana heard a sickening crunch from his back and watched him fall to the ocean…

Lucy, crying over the fallen White Dragon…

Yukino despairing at the camp…

Erza now, confronting the man who had defeated Gajeel…

_No…This isn't what I…I didn't want this! _Cana fell to her knees and cried. She sobbed, "I'm sorry! I didn't think you would all…!"

_Do you want to help them? _

Cana froze as a voice echoed in her mind. She looked around and asked shakily, "Wh-who are you?"

_I am the First Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion. I will ask again, do you want to help your friends? _

Cana nodded vigorously, "Yes, please! I'll do anything!"

_I see…I will help you. I am also doing my best to help them, and for now, they cannot die. This evil must be driven away, but I cannot fight. I will grant you my power for a time. _

The light on the grave flashed and suddenly flew towards Cana, embedding itself into her right arm. She yelped, but it didn't hurt. The light was warm, and powerful.

Mavis whispered to her again. _This is Fairy Glitter. When you need to use it, the magic shall obey you. Purge the dark from our sacred ground. To you, I shall trust this power…_

Cana stood up, and her eyes became determined, "Thank you. I won't fail this time."

She heard a small laugh in her mind. _Go…_Cana ran to her friends.

**/**

"I don't like this. Where is everyone?" Gray wondered aloud.

Ur shook her head, "I don't know. The sounds of fighting seemed to have died down. It's been very quiet for some time."

Gray tch'd and looked over at her in concern, "How's the old man?"

Ur glanced down at Makarov, who was still unconscious in her arms. The two of them had found him wounded and defeated by the shoreline. Now they were going towards the camp to meet up with the others and treat the injured Master.

Again, Ur shook her head, "He's alive for now, but his injuries are still quite severe."

Gray turned his gaze from the Master to his teacher, "How are you?"

The Wizard Saint stopped walking for a moment.

Gray also stopped a few paces ahead of her, "I'm not sure what it was that was bothering you earlier, but you've been unusually quiet."

"…It's nothing. Just forget it." she replied.

Gray watched her for a few moments, then nodded.

They kept on walking, heading for the camp. Ur looked to either side of her. _That presence I felt earlier…It's still present, but it's faded some. Perhaps…If it's really her, maybe she's on the other side of the island. Or…she's hurt…_

The Wizard Saint shook her head. She had other things to worry about at the moment.

"Ur! Gray!"

The Ice Mages looked up to see Happy leading the other exceeds down from the sky.

Lector caught sight of the Master, causing his eyes to widen, "Gramps! Is he okay?!"

Ur nodded, "He's hurt, but I think he'll pull through. What about the others?"

Lily shook his head, "Not so good."

Gray stared at him, "What happened?"

"The Dragon Slayers were defeated." Charle murmured.

Gray's jaw dropped, "Wait…_All of them?!" _

"Are they alright?" Ur demanded.

Happy was upset, but his voice was still strong, "Aye, it looks like Natsu, Sting, and Gajeel got the worst of it. Natsu was awake earlier though."

Frosch looked like she was about to cry, "Even Rogue and Wendy got beat…"

"It's fine, Frosch. They're all really strong. They'll pull through." Lector assured.

Charle motioned at Ur, "Here, let's take you back to the camp. It'll be quicker if we fly."

Ur nodded again, "Alright then. Could one of you take the Master?"

While they discussed transportation, Frosch pulled Gray aside. The Ice Mage stared at the little cat, "What's up, Frosch?"

The little green exceed poked her paws together for a few moments, "Um…Frosch isn't sure if this is important or not, but…Yukino told me something weird about the enemy she fought with Rogue."

Gray frowned, "Weird? What was weird about the enemy?"

Frosch looked up at him with a worried expression, her voice hushed, "She said that enemy was called Ultear. I think she looked a lot like Ur."

Gray was frozen and silent for a few moments, "Are you certain?"

Frosch nodded, "Yes. That's what Frosch heard."

The Ice Mage thought fast before he replied to the exceed, "Okay, don't tell Ur. I'm gonna go find this person."

He turned towards Ur and the other exceed to call out at them, "I'm gonna go check something out. I'll meet you back at the camp." His teacher nodded at him, as the exceed picked up her and Makarov to fly them to camp.

Gray watched them go and then started to run deeper into the forest. _Ultear…Could it really be…?_

**/**

Gajeel blinked his eyes open and groaned. There was a throbbing pain in his back that couldn't be ignored.

He sat up and cursed to himself when he realized he was in the camp. "Damn it all to hell! I can't believe I let those bastards get the better of me!"

Natsu opened one eye from the tree stump where he was sleeping next to Lisanna, "Oh, you're awake."

"Is that all you've got to say?!" Gajeel hissed.

The Salamander shrugged, "I guess."

Black Steel huffed and looked around. He was surprised when he saw Rogue, Wendy, and Yukino out cold on the ground next to him. He took note of Rogue and Yukino's injuries, then moved his gaze back to Natsu to examine his wounds as well.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Just what happened here?" Gajeel asked.

The Salamander was quiet for a bit, then he looked away, "I don't know. From the sound of it, all the Dragon Slayers lost their fights."

Black Steel was stunned, only managing to whisper a response, "Are you serious…?"

Natsu nodded miserably, "I can't believe it either."

The two of them were silent for a long while, then Gajeel sighed and looked down at the ground, "What do we do now?"

Natsu shook his head, "I don't know. I just can't believe how easily we got beat. We always assumed we were at the top, but those 7 Kin of Purgatory are the real deal…I gave it everything I had and I only pulled off a partial win."

Gajeel frowned, "Partial? What do you mean? I thought you lost."

Natsu looked away, "Well, I did lose…but I-"

"Oi! Fairy Tail!"

He was cut off by a deep, booming voice that made them freeze.

Two men and the bird-man Kawazu walked into the clearing. One of the men was big, very pale, and obviously quite ugly, but what caught Natsu's attention was the two people he was dragging behind him.

He stood up abruptly with a shout, "Elfman, Evergreen!"

The pale man tossed the two of them aside and harrumphed, "They weren't much fun. I think the girl just couldn't stand how awesome Kain Hikaru really is."

"You fatass bastard!" Gajeel hissed.

Kawazu cackled, "So, Black Steel is still alive, eh? That won't last much longer, though. Not with two of the seven kin, not to mention even Bluenote, with us."

At this point the others had awakened and gotten into defensive stances. Mira held her arm out to the side, trying to hold the others back, "Levy, with me! The others are injured, so stay back!"

Gajeel roared, "Like hell! I'm gonna pay that damn chicken back tenfold!"

"You can't take all three of them Mira, even with Levy!" Natsu shouted.

Bluenote nodded, "You should take their advice. Not that it'll matter anyways. I'm in a foul mood, that grave is hidden too well for me to find. One of you tell me where the grave is, and I might not kill all of you."

Gajeel snarled, "You sound like a broken record. Why don't you shut yer trap and let us kick your ass."

Kain held up one of his fingers, "It's not a good idea to anger Bluenote. He even said he would spare some of you, so just tell him where the grave is."

"I don't think so. If you haven't already figured it out from our other members, Fairy Tail isn't about to tell you anything." Rogue growled.

Bluenote smirked, "Fine by me. I'm guessing that you guys are the other Dragon Slayers, right? I'm not really that interested in seeing whether or not you're stronger than the White Dragon, but oh, well. Come on."

Natsu's eyes widened, then darkened in rage. He hissed, "You're the one who hurt Sting…I won't forgive you…"

Kawazu cackled again, "So it's to be a battle royale, then? Then us demons shall feast on the fairies once more!"

Mira thought fast to come up with a strategy, then called out behind her to the rest of the group, "Gajeel, take the bird! Rogue, you get the pale one! Wendy, support Natsu and I while we take down Bluenote! Levy, Yukino! Cover Lisanna while she gets Elfman and Evergreen out of the line of fire!"

Yukino nodded, "Understood!"

"Got it!" Levy answered.

Lisanna shouted, "Be careful, you guys!"

Gajeel cracked his knuckles, "Sounds good to me!"

Rogue unsheathed Shadow Steel and quietly hissed, "Good. I've been itching to fight for a while."

"I'm all fired up! Bring it on, all of you!" Natsu roared.

**/**

Sting was still ticked that he needed help to walk, but he was steadily gaining back the feeling in his legs. It wouldn't be much longer until he wouldn't need support.

Leo stopped suddenly and forced him and Lucy to come to a halt. Sting glanced at him, "What's up?"

The Lion Spirit reached inside his coat with a nervous laugh, "With all the excitement, I almost forgot about this. Lucy, I got the Capricorn Zodiac Gate Key."

He handed the gold key over to Lucy, who chirped happily in response, "Thanks a lot!"

Sting eyed the key, then turned to Virgo, "Oi, are we almost to the camp?"

The Maid Spirit nodded, "Nearly there, but it's going to be a little while yet."

"It's going to be longer if you're busy fighting me."

The group spun in unison to come face to face with a young girl. The girl started walking towards them slowly, "My name is Meredy. I'm one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Bluenote and the others are busy raiding the camp, so I cannot allow you to continue."

Sting bared his fangs, "That bastard's at the camp?!"

Leo tch'd, "I thought he was going to go looking for the grave, but I guess not. Dammit, this is tough…"

"Juvia will handle this." The Rain Woman stepped forward between Meredy and the others, calling over her shoulder, "The rest of you get to camp and help the others. Juvia will be more than enough for this girl."

Lucy nodded, "Okay, thank you Juvia!"

She and Leo moved as fast as they could with Sting in between them, Virgo bringing up the rear.

Meredy shouted, "You won't escape!" Several blue swords flew towards them, but a torrent of water blocked their path

"I won't let you go after them!" Juvia cried.

**/**

Erza gritted her teeth in frustration as Yowazu pushed her back again.

_He's strong, and in close quarters he's deceptively fast. This really isn't a very ideal situation for an opponent like this…It'd be better if I had someone to distract him for a few moments, but since I don't I guess I'll have to improvise. _

Yowazu stepped forward, swinging his axe easily, "What's wrong, Titania? This isn't the strength of the legendary blade master I hoped to fight. Are you truly giving it your all?"

Erza glared at him, "Let's have you decide after I cut you. Then, and only then, will you realize how powerful I am going all out."

Yowazu cackled, "Interesting! Come on, then!"

Erza requipped to her Heaven's Wheel armor and slashed at him again.

**/**

Three men were running through the forest, trying to reach the camp as quickly as possible.

The tallest muttered as they went, "Freed, how much longer?"

Freed answered quietly, "A few more minutes, shouldn't be long now."

"I can't believe someone had the nerve to attack our guild's holy ground." Bixlow grunted.

Freed's eyes darkened, "It doesn't matter that they invaded. The important thing now is to make sure that we utterly crush them for what they have done. Right, Gildarts?"

The S-Class mage said nothing, but his face said it all. This was one of the rare instances when Gildarts was absolutely _furious. _He wouldn't pull any punches this time. The enemy would get to feel the full force of his anger for daring to harm his family.

**/**

Azuma reached the base of the Tenrou Tree, eyeing the giant mass of life with little interest. He cracked his knuckles and walked into the maze of roots to reach the core. As he went, Azuma reached up and touched the wound on his chest. He smiled, "Such a relentless fighter, the Salamander. It doesn't seem like I'll be fighting again after this…"


	11. Glutton

**Oh yes, now we're getting to the good stuff! Fights, fights, and more fights! There are three big ones coming up in the last chapter of the deadly sins(The next one, if you didn't know) and then after that is the fight against Hades...Doing some rough calculations here, I'm thinking that the X791 Fairy Tail will probably start around chapter 15 or 16...Ah well, just wait and see! Am I forgetting anything?...Oh, yeah! I think I said earlier somewhere I would answer any questions you guys had about me personally or how I do my writing? If you're interested, just ask on the reviews and I'll get back to you. Hmmm, that's all, so thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 11: Glutton_

Erza dodged a downward swing from Yowazu's axe by jumping aside. She requipped to her Flame Empress Armor and slashed at the bull man's left arm.

Yowazu grabbed the hilt of her sword with lightning fast reflexes and tossed Erza into a tree. Not missing a beat, he swung the axe again and missed Erza's neck by inches as she ducked, cutting through the tree with one go. Erza lunged at him and stabbed forward, requipping to her Sea Empress Armor. Yowazu blocked her easily with the flat of his axe.

He smirked, "Is that all, Titania? I'm getting bored, here."

"Silence!" Erza shouted. She requipped to her Heaven's Wheel Armor and summoned several blades, which rotated around her. "Circle Sword!" she cried. The rotating swords encircled Yowazu and closed in.

The bull man laughed and leaped upwards, "Are you just playing around? Get serious!"

"I am serious, you fool. Pay attention."

Yowazu's eyes widened as Erza appeared behind him in her Black Wing Armor, sword at the ready. She lunged forward and slashed in a cross formation with a yell, "Moon Flash!"

Yowazu howled in pain as the attack found it's mark, but it angered him more than anything. He swung the axe at her again, and Erza barely had time to cross her swords to block. The force of the slash made her skid backwards, but it gave her time to requip back into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and summon more blades.

_Time to finish it. He's injured and letting his anger get the better of him. I'll hit him with one more heavy attack. _

Erza, satisfied with her plan, cried out, "Dance, my blades! Blumenblatt!" A rain of swords flew towards Yowazu, who began slashing madly to deflect them.

He roared at her, "You think this is enough to defeat me?!"

Erza requipped to her Purgatory Armor, eyes dark as she glared at him, "I don't. But I know this'll be enough. Prepare yourself!" She rushed him as he deflected the last of the Blumenblatt and left himself open.

Yowazu swung down with his axe out of anger and desperation, screaming at her, "Do not underestimate the Seven Kin, Titania!"

Erza slashed and cut the head of the axe from it's handle, sending it spinning into the air.

Yowazu's eyes widened in shock as she continued and delivered a devastating cut onto his body. He fell to the ground with a wild cry, releasing the handle of his axe. Erza requipped back to her normal armor. Yowazu writhed in pain on the ground, spitting in fury. Having been defeated, his body went back from a bull to a goat.

He crawled on his belly towards Erza with fury in his eyes, "It's not over…I cannot lose..!"

Erza eyed him distastefully, "It is over. I will not cut an enemy who cannot fight back. And watch where you're crawling."

Yowazu frowned, "Where I'm- GAAHH!"

He screeched as the spinning axe head crashed into him and embedded itself in his back. Yowazu lost consciousness several moments later.

Erza stared at him for a moment, then started back to the camp. _Gajeel won't be happy with me for beating this guy, but he can try and argue at his own risk. I'm not in the mood for complaints._

**/**

Natsu called out to Wendy as he and Mira charged Blunote, "Wendy! Support!"

Wendy nodded, "I know!" She held her arms out in front of her at her attacking companions and chanted quietly, "O' strength of arms to cleave the heavens…O' swift winds that run through the heavens…Arms and Vernier!"

Natsu and Mira were surrounded in a magic aura as they closed in on Bluenote.

Mira activated her Satan Soul and vanished completely for a moment, before reappearing above and behind the dark mage. Bluenote whipped around in surprise, but Natsu got him from the front.

The Salamander dropped to the ground and spun, kicking out Bluenote's legs from underneath him as he skidded past. Mira punched the dark mage in the chest and into the ground as Natsu jumped up and took a deep breath.

He shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" A torrent of flame raced towards Bluenote and barreled him further into the earth. Natsu kept blasting him for a few moments, but then the flames were blown away by an overwhelming force. The Salamander was sent higher into the air by the shockwave.

"Hey there, Fairy!"

Natsu looked over his shoulder to see Kawazu right behind him, about to slash with his claws, but then an iron rod caught the bird man in the gut and smashed him into a tree.

Gajeel shouted at him, "Focus on your own fight! I can handle the chicken!"

Natsu turned back around, and met Bluenote face to face in midair. He crossed his arms over his chest as the dark mage punched at him and landed the blow. The pressure was incredible.

_Damn! This guy's no joke! _Natsu thought as Bluenote sent him flying towards the ground. Mira caught the Salamander at the last second and put him safely on the ground.

He let out a long breath, "Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it. Just pay better attention to this guy. He's the real deal, I can see how he could have defeated Sting." Mira answered.

Natsu eyed Bluenote carefully and frowned, "Oi, Mira. This guy…Do you get the impression that he's holding back?"

Mira nodded, "Yeah. He wants information, so it would be bad for him if he killed us. But that's to our advantage if he can't go all out. We have to beat him while he's taking it easy."

"Got it." Natsu said.

**/**

Rogue glared at Kain.

The big man attempted to hide himself behind a tree, stuttering, "W-w-what's that l-look for?! I-I-I'm strong y-you k-k-know!"

The Shadow Dragon snorted. _He's surprisingly timid for such a powerful mage. But I will not hold back. _Rogue called out to Kain, "If you don't move out from behind the tree, I will remove it."

Kain stammered nervously, "H-h-how?!"

Rogue lunged forward in the blink of an eye and cut the tree down with Shadow Steel. He was in Kain's face before the big man had a chance to react, murmuring softly, "Like this."

The Shadow Dragon stabbed at Kain's eye, but froze in surprise when he heard a metallic sound upon impact. The dark mage's body was suddenly comprised entirely of metal.

Kain laughed, "This is my power! To change the properties of my body with a curse spell in order to increase my own strength!"

He struck out, but Rogue leaped aside and took a deep breath, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Kain blocked the breath attack with his bare hands and blew it away.

The Shadow Dragon tch'd and enveloped Shadow Steel in darkness before slashing at his enemy, "Black Sword Art: Shadow Dragon Fang!"

Kain blocked the attack with his arm, but Rogue noted the fact that this time he took damage. _Cutting attacks work better, then. Alright, I'll try this again. _

He stabbed at Kain with the shadowy blade. This time, the big man knew better and jumped aside. The sword on it's own was no threat to him, but when it was encased in Dragon Slayer Magic, it was a different story.

Rogue twisted and turned the stab into a horizontal slash, "Shadow Dragon's Tail Slice!"

Kain bellowed in retaliation, "Mist Doll!" His body suddenly dissipated into fog and was totally unharmed by the Shadow Dragon's attack. He materialized behind Rogue and tried to hit him with a palm thrust, but the Dragon Slayer flipped forward and dodged.

_This guy…_

Kain held his hand out in a defensive posture, "You are quite fast. Impressive."

Rogue turned and face him again. _What a troublesome magic._

**/**

Gajeel swung his fist at Kawazu again, but the bird man dodged him effortlessly, taunting him as he went, "What's wrong, Black Steel?! Can't you hit me?!"

Gajeel snarled, "Shaddup! You're pissing me off!" He took a deep breath and bellowed, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Kawazu again dodged him, but Gajeel's attack destroyed the ground around him and made the bird man's footing go off for a few moments.

When Kawazu tripped, Black Steel seized his chance and flew at him with a roar, "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" He caught Kawazu in the beak with his attack and smashed him through a tree.

Kawazu staggered to his feet and cackled, "That really hurt. Even I won't be able to take to many more attacks like that."

"Damn right, you feathered bastard." Gajeel growled.

The dark mage eyed something behind Black Steel and smirked, "Why don't we make this game more interesting?"

The Dragon Slayer did not like the sound of that. He bared his fangs, "Enlighten me."

Kawazu tipped his head at the area behind Gajeel, "Let's take that brat that got away earlier and see how long she lasts as a human shield."

The bird man raced past him and Gajeel spun around, eyes widening as he saw Kawazu reach out to grab the back of Levy's neck. He roared, "SHRIMP, LOOK OUT!"

Levy turned and saw the dark mage coming at her, but she couldn't move fast enough to avoid him.

Gajeel flew towards them. _Shit! I won't make it! _

"Regulus Impact!"

A glowing lion's head smashed into Kawazu and sent him sprawling on the ground.

Not missing a beat, Black Steel unleashed a breath attack in Kawazu's face as he attempted to get up. The bird man crashed into a nearby boulder and promptly fell unconscious.

Gajeel then leaped back to where Leo was standing in front of Levy. He turned to the Lion Spirit, "Thanks for the assist, playboy."

"No problem. These guys are trouble." Leo answered.

Gajeel glanced around and saw Lucy and Virgo half-carrying Sting into camp.

Levy ran over to them, "Are you guys okay?"

Lucy nodded, "We're fine, but what about the others?"

Yukino walked up to them, "Grimoire Heart came out of nowhere, but we're doing okay. Natsu, Rogue, and Mira are dealing with the others right now."

WHAM!

The group jumped as Natsu smashed into the ground near them, Mira following a second later.

The Salamander groaned as he tried to get up and failed. Mira's Satan Soul dissipated and she slumped down, breathing heavily.

Lisanna ran over to them, "Natsu, Mira! Are you okay?!"

Natsu nodded and opened his mouth to say something, then winced and closed it again.

Sting hissed, "Bluenote."

"Well, well, the White Dragon. I'm honestly amazed you're still alive, I seriously meant to kill you back then." Bluenote muttered as he walked towards them.

Gajeel and Leo got into fighting stances. Black Steel growled over his shoulder, "Get them away from here. We can't go all out against him and cover you at the same time."

Sting shook his head, "Not an option. This guy'll kill you without a second thought, he's too powerful for you to take down."

"Well, you got a better idea?! Huh?!" Gajeel snarled.

Bluenote kept approaching them, causing the group to tense. Natsu sat up on his elbows and let loose a low growl from his throat.

No one could see or hear Rogue and Kain anymore-they seemed to had taken the fight outside of the camp.

Bluenote was within ten meters of them when they heard a shout, "I found you!"

Everyone turned and caught sight of Cana running towards them.

Lucy cried out, "Cana, you're okay!"

"I'm more than okay. Is this guy an enemy?" she asked.

Gajeel whipped his head over and growled, "He is, but he's way out of our league! Beat it, go find that super strong icy wench and bring her back here!"

Cana shook her head, "No need, I can't lose with this!" She brought her right arm up and began charging magic power in it.

The hairs on Sting's neck bristled from the force of the magic Cana was creating, "What the hell's she doing? It almost feels like Fairy Law…"

Bluenote's eyes widened, "That magic you have…!"

Cana brought her arm down with a shout, "Fairy-"

"Fall!" Bluenote roared and Cana crashed into the ground from his Gravity Magic.

Lucy shrieked, "Cana!" Gajeel and Leo rushed forward, but the dark mage thrust his hand at them.

The whole group was smashed into the ground. Natsu gasped from the force. _I can't even move! Just how much was this bastard holding back when he fought us?! _

Bluenote changed direction and started walking towards Cana. He eyed her cautiously, "That magic you have…could it be Fairy Glitter? The one from the grave?"

Sting frowned, "Grave?…Oh wait, you didn't-the test-"

"Forget it, it's not important right now! Just distract this guy while I charge my magic power!" Cana yelled.

Sting tch'd and struggled to stand, but Bluenote forced him down again with a shout, "Do not interfere!"

The White Dragon went down on his hands and knees and hissed in frustration, but then he smirked, "This is fine. I can still hit you like this! White Dragon's Roar!" He fired the laser from his mouth, which moved fast enough to keep from being forced into the ground. The breath attack struck Bluenote in the back of the head.

He turned and gave Sting a murderous look, but the distraction released Cana. Her arm went up and started charging magic power again with a shout, "Thanks Sting!"

"Hurry and get him!" Sting screeched.

The magic power in Cana's arm began to glow and turned into bright light. She started to chant, "Gather! O' river of light that guides the fairies! Shine! To destroy the fangs of evil!" Cana brought her arm down and created a ring of light that entrapped Bluenote, "Fairy Glitter!"

Bluenote roared as the magic closed in, but then he thrust his hands hand on either side, **_"FALL!"_**

The ring of light was completely destroyed. Cana collapsed from shock. _That's impossible…! _

Bluenote glared at her, "So, even a super magic is useless in the hands of an incompetent wielder. Too bad for you. I'll kill you quickly, and then tear Fairy Glitter from your corpse."

Cana could only watch as he came closer to her.

Lucy screamed, "Cana!"

"Move…Dammit, move!" Sting hissed.

Bluenote reached towards Cana's throat. The girl closed her eyes and surrendered to her fate.

Someone else stopped her fate in it's tracks.

Another hand shot forward and placed itself a few inches from Bluenote's, then a massive force sent the dark mage flying.

Cana's eyes flew open in shock as her savior came between her and the dark mage.

Bluenote skidded to a stop and glared at the newcomer.

Sting's breath caught in his throat, "Th-that's…"

Cana stared at the man before her. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized who it was. _Fa..ther…_

Gildarts had a look of thunder on his face.

"Gildarts!" Mira shouted.

The S-Class mage glanced at them for a moment, then back at Bluenote. "Let's take this elsewhere." he grunted.

Bluenote's eyes narrowed, "You think you can fly in my gravity? You-!"

Gildarts ran forward and grabbed him by the throat, before using his magic power to jump impossibly high.

Gajeel's jaw dropped, "Are you serious?!"

Natsu was bristling, "I've never seen him that mad before. Scare-y."

"Yeah, but it's probably best if we don't get involved in that mess. Those two are way out of our league." Lisanna said.

Sting sprawled on his back out on the ground with a heavy sigh, "Damn, that was way, way too close. Almost getting killed twice by the same guy in one day…I feel pathetic."

"Well, you are! What a disgrace!" Gajeel sniggered.

Sting sat up abruptly and snarled at him, "What'd you say?!"

The two Dragon Slayers started wrestling on the ground in a fistfight.

"Honestly…"

The others turned and saw Freed and Bixlow come over.

Leo grinned, "So, you guys came back with Gildarts, huh?"

Bixlow nodded, but Freed sighed in exasperation at the fighting Dragon Slayers, "Come now, they're half-dead and they still have the energy to bicker like dogs over a bone."

Lucy laughed, "They're Dragon Slayers, after all!"

Yukino looked around worriedly, "Has anyone seen where Rogue went off to?"

"Seems like he and that big guy are duking it out somewhere in the forest." Natsu said.

Freed raised an eyebrow, "We should probably go help him. Where- ugh!"

He suddenly collapsed to one knee, and the rest of the group followed quickly.

Leo vanished in a burst of light and Mira gasped, "Wh-what is this?!"

Lucy was shaking, "I can't…my magic power's leaving me…!"

"What the…the Tenrou Tree!" Sting muttered.

They realized the huge tree was toppling over, crashing into the sea.

"What the hell…is going on?!" Natsu hissed weakly as he fell unconscious beside Lisanna.

The group was out cold in seconds.

**/**

Rogue dropped to one knee, gasping in shock as his magic power abandoned him.

_?! What just happened?! I can't summon any power! _

Kain walked closer to him. The big man had taken one hell of a beating, and he wanted to return the favor. He smirked, "Azuma's done it. It's all over for you now."

Rogue growled in defiance. _Damn…This is bad…!_

**/**

Gildarts struggled to remain standing as he glared at Bluenote. The dark mage glanced at the falling tree and tch'd, "Damn you old man, giving Azuma such weird orders. And right when I'd found someone who can fly, too…"

**/**

Gray had found Ultear a few minutes before the tree went down, but he stuck to spying until the magic power left him. He tried not to cry out as he felt his strength drain from his body, but he was worried Ultear might have heard him…

**/**

Ur and the exceed crash landed, but kept the weakened Master safe from harm. She stood up, defying the drain on her body when she felt the presence from earlier.

_! She's close! I..I have to find her! _

She was reluctant to leave the unconscious Master and exceed, but she decided they would be safely hidden where they were, so she moved deeper into the forest, following the sense that had bothered her since Grimoire Heart's initial attack.

_Ultear…Is it really you?_

**/**

Meredy and Juvia collapsed side by side, battered and breathing heavily from the fight.

The young dark mage muttered to the Rain Woman, "You're strong…But it looks like Azuma's plan was completed. It's all over for Fairy Tail…"

Juvia was gasping for air, but her voice was strong, "We won't give in…Even if our power is gone…you can't destroy us..completely…"

She fell unconscious and Meredy watched her for a moment before looking up at the sky since she couldn't do anything else.

**/**

Azuma watched the Tenrou Tree fall solemnly. He was sad at the waste of such powerful, wonderful mages, but Hades' orders were absolute. He murmured quietly, "Forgive me, Natsu Dragneel. This is a dishonorable thing to do to such an amazing opponent."

"So, they brought him back, after all, eh?"

Azuma whipped around at the voice, eyes widening in surprise when he caught sight of someone standing a few meters behind him on the trunk of the fallen tree. The dark mage whispered, "You are…!"

The newcomer stepped forward, shaking their head, "Sorry, I can't allow you to defile this place. It's sacred ground for a reason."

Azuma considered his words for a moment, then smiled, chuckling to himself, "It seems I may enjoy one last bout after all. Very well, defeat me and I shall revert the island to the way it was before. Come at me,"

Lightning flashed overhead in the stormy clouds above, revealing the details of the stranger's face. Spiky blonde hair, and a bolt shaped scar over his right eye…

"Laxus Dreyar."


	12. Lust

**Alright, that's the deadly sins out of the way, and onto the fight with Hades! I suspect that battle will probably be two parts, so it's bound to be quite long. I'm not gonna say much else so you can just enjoy the chapter. As always, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Reviews ARE appreciated :)**

_Chapter 12: Lust_

Laxus cracked his neck and eyed Azuma from across the tree trunk, frowning at the wound on his chest, "What happened to you?"

The dark mage touched the slash wound with a faint smile, "A souvenir from my battle with Natsu Dragneel. I must say, I'm surprised you came here. I thought you'd been excommunicated."

Laxus snorted, "I came here to visit the grave of the First Master. I was a member of Fairy Tail once, you know. But I sure didn't expect to find the Second Master raiding the island with the most powerful force of the Baram Alliance. Now, then…"

"Shall we begin?" Azuma answered, raising a hand up in challenge.

The two mages went still for several moments, judging the other carefully.

Laxus struck first, changing his body to lightning and rushing forward before materializing again to punch at Azuma. The dark mage created a shield of tree roots to defend himself, but Laxus turned back to lightning and flew around the barrier to strike him in the side.

Azuma grunted from the pain, but recovered quickly, locking on to the lightning mage's location for a counterattack. He brought his hand up and swiped it down with a shout, "Burst Claw!" Blades of energy raced towards Laxus, who managed to dodge all but one of them.

He was struck on the chest and skidded back with a smirk, "That kinda hurt. But is that all ya got?"

Azuma grinned, "Far from it. What battle can be fun if both parties go all out from the start? That said…I don't have all my magic power back, so I guess I'll need to get serious anyway. Here I come."

"Anytime ya like." Laxus answered.

Azuma ran forward, thrusting his palm out towards the lightning mage, "Bleve!"

An explosion burst from his hand and raced towards Laxus, who jumped up into the air and held his hands out towards the dark mage, "Thunder Bullets!"

Azuma spread his arms out to either side as spheres of electricity rained towards him, "Tower Burst!" The thunder bullets were blown away, making Laxus tch. Azuma went on the offensive again, crouching down to put his hands on the tree trunk, "Tree Fist!"

A huge fist made of tree bark tore from the Tenrou tree and flew towards the lightning mage, who turned back into lightning and shot around it to punch at Azuma with a yell, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

The dark mage took the blow straight in the jaw and flew back, but quickly raised his hand and bellowed a reply, "Bleve!"

Laxus, fast as he was, still couldn't dodge the close range explosion. He skidded back, clothes sizzling from the heat. Azuma followed up and sent several roots at him which wrapped around the lightning mage's arms and legs, "Chain Burst!" The roots created another point-blank explosion, but Laxus managed to fly off in his lightning form before much damage was done.

He landed safely back on the tree trunk, observing his opponent again. Azuma started to attack, then flinched and dropped to one knee, clutching at the wound on his chest.

Laxus narrowed his eyes at that, "Seems like you're about to hit the wall…"

The dark mage nodded, "It would seem so, but I won't fall that easily. I command the power of Tenrou Island; now you shall taste it's force."

Azuma put his hands out to either side, causing the tree to suddenly start shaking.

Laxus' eyes widened from the force of the magic power he sensed, so he jumped in the air to counter the coming attack better. Azuma clapped his hands together and roared, "Terra Clamare!"

A titanic explosion roared out and flew at the lightning mage in midair, who created a huge sphere of electricity and threw it towards the oncoming blast wave with a bellow, "Raging Bolt!"

The attacks slammed into each other and pushed for several seconds, but it was clear that Tenrou Island's power was too much even for Laxus. That said, he wasn't overwhelmed completely, but his lightning magic was forced back significantly before both spells created an even bigger explosion and sent the two mages flying.

Laxus fell to one knee after landing on the tree trunk again, panting from the strain. Azuma was standing, staring down at the lightning mage as he caught his breath.

Once he had recovered enough, the dark mage composed himself and spoke again, "I'm impressed. Even Bluenote and Master Hades would have trouble going against an explosion of that caliber. I think it's time we end this. I'll give you another dose of Tenrou Island's power…"

He raised his arm and Laxus braced himself to fly off again, but suddenly, a tree branch sprouted from Azuma's shoulder.

The dark mage's eyes widened in surprise.

Laxus stared in shock, "Wh-what is…?"

Azuma glanced at his shoulder and tch'd, "I'm that far gone, huh? This is the consequence of overusing my magic…that and the toll from my wound."

Laxus frowned, "That injury's nasty sure, but it doesn't look overly severe…"

"Looks can be deceiving. Natsu Dragneel truly didn't want me going after his comrades, I suppose…That sword strike with the flames burned my organs. My fate was sealed the moment his blade cut me." Azuma murmured.

More branches began to sprout from his body, almost enveloping him. The dark mage sighed, "I wish I could have seen this battle to the end, but I'm satisfied like this. I'll return everyone's magic power to them. Do give the Salamander my regards…"

Laxus started towards him, "Oi, hold on-!"

Azuma's body became completely encased in tree branches, until he himself was a small grove of trees.

Laxus stared for a few moments, then turned away. He walked a few paces and muttered under his breath, "Thanks…"

**/**

Bluenote harrumphed, "So, without his magic power, even _the _Gildarts is nothing but trash…"

The dark mage kicked at the fallen S-Class, but Gildarts grabbed his foot with renewed strength. Bluenote's eyes widened, "You're magic power…it's back…?"

"Ya know…as a test supervisor, it ain't dignified of me to take a beating like this..!" Gildarts said. He sent the dark mage flying with his Crash magic into a nearby boulder, staggering back onto his feet.

Bluenote laughed, "Excellent! Excellent, Gildarts! Let's both get serious now! I want to fly higher than ever in this battle!"

He put his hands together and created a sphere of darkness in midair that began sucking absolutely everything into it. Gildarts felt it pull him closer and resisted with all his strength. Bluenote cackled, "Black Hole! This is an infinite gravity well that annihilates everything it takes in!"

Gildarts tch'd. _So noisy. Does he just enjoy listening to himself talk?_

**/**

Kain brought his iron-skinned palm down on Rogue for the finishing blow, but the Shadow Dragon blocked the attack with his katana, cutting into the dark mage's palm. Kain stared at the cut and then at Rogue in shock, "How can you resist with no power?!" The Shadow Dragon struggled to his feet after getting tossed around like a rag doll for several minutes.

He caught his breath and glared at Kain, "I don't understand what just happened, but it seems as though I can fight again…"

Kain pointed a shaky finger at him, "Y-y-you can't m-mean…Your magic's b-b-b-b-back?!"

"Find out for yourself, you mountain of meat." Rogue hissed, settling into a fighting stance with his sword again.

**/**

After running for what seemed like forever, Ur finally caught sight of what she had been searching for. Several people were in the clearing she discovered. Juvia was unconscious on the ground. Meredy was talking to the person who she couldn't tear her eyes from.

_Ultear._

Ur covered her mouth with her hands, on the verge of breaking down after finding the daughter she had been told was dead. In the clearing, Ultear put down a young man with messy black hair before walking towards Juvia. Ur frowned for a moment, then her heart froze when she saw Ultear retrieve a sword and start walking towards Juvia. _She…she wouldn't..no! _

Her daughter stabbed down and Ur rushed forward, hitting the sword with a burst of ice. Ultear and Meredy whipped around, eyes widening in shock upon seeing Ur there.

The Wizard Saint stared at her daughter, barely managing a whisper, "Ultear, you…"

"Mother." Ultear replied curtly.

Meredy picked up the dark haired teen and looked between them.

Ur bit her lip and took a shaky breath, "Why are you doing this?"

Ultear narrowed her eyes, "Why? Isn't that obvious?"

The daughter walked up so she was face to face with her mother, "You left me for dead and replaced me with two little brats. _That's _why I'm doing this."

Ur started shaking uncontrollably, tears falling down her face. She shook her head, "That's not what happened! I-"

"I'll change it, don't worry." Ultear interrupted, "That's why I'm taking Zeref, so we can go to the great world of magic. There, my Time Ark is complete. I'll go back in time and change things so we can be together again…but that's in the past, so to speak. Your current self is unforgivable."

Her daughter brought the crystal ball she carried up to eye level with Ur, "I learned Time Ark for two reasons. The first is as I said, to go back in time and change everything, so it will be as it should have been. The second reason, my mother, is to take your life from this time."

Ur's frozen heart almost shattered.

She bowed her head, "I'm so sorry. Because I was such a terrible mother, you've become something from my nightmares…I understand if you hate me. If you want to kill me, then…let me do it."

Ultear's eyes widened in surprise, but Ur went on, "I don't know what you've had to do growing up in a dark guild, but I imagine you already have enough blood on your hands. As your mother, even if I am unforgivable, please let me do this one small thing for my daughter."

Ultear seemed stunned, but regained her composure quickly, "Very well, then. You can't repent entirely with this, but it won't matter once Zeref gains his true power." Ultear created a sword of ice.

Meredy watched and gave Ultear an uncertain look, "Ultear, are you sure? She really seems sorry…"

"Silence, Meredy." Ultear said, and presented the frozen sword to Ur.

The Wizard Saint stared at the blade in her hands, then looked up at Ultear, "Whatever it is you're planning to do…Please remember that no matter what happens, I love you." Something flashed in her daughter's eyes, a sadness that appeared only briefly, before she stepped away from her mother. Ur held the blade out and prepared to stab her own heart.

She closed her eyes. _I'm so sorry, everyone. But I have to do this…I can't forgive myself for turning my daughter into such a hateful person. Goodbye…_

Ur stabbed down, but was stopped as another blade of ice blocked the suicidal attack. Ur's eyes flashed open as someone grabbed her wrists and forced her to release the ice sword.

Gray.

Her student faced her with surprisingly calm eyes, "I don't care what your reason is. Your death will solve nothing. It won't save you from whatever sins you've committed."

Ur stared at him, "Gray…"

He shook his head, "You can't do anything like this, so I'm taking you out of commission. Lights out, Ur." Gray punched her hard in the stomach. Ur gasped and collapsed, unconscious.

Ultear glared at Gray, "So, my replacement appears and interferes. That's all you're good for; interfering with my life."

"Shut up." he snapped. Gray turned and faced her, "I can't believe you actually brought her to tears. That's what she named you after, you know? I never replaced you, and quite frankly, I have no desire to do that. Ur took me in when I was an orphaned victim of Deliora, and I won't let her own daughter decide her fate for such a stupid reason. I don't know what fantasy you're in, but I'll fight to shake you into reality, you delinquent bitch."

Ultear gave him a look of absolute loathing, "Meredy! Take Zeref to the rendezvous point. I'll meet you there after I've cleaned up this mess." The girl nodded and started out into the forest.

Gray yelled, "Juvia! Wake up!"

The Rain Woman twitched and sprang to life, "Gray's voice! What can Juvia do for her beloved?"

He pointed at Meredy, "Bring Zeref back here! Don't let that girl get away!"

"Yes, of course, Gray!" Juvia squealed happily and ran after Meredy.

Ultear smirked at him, "Your plan won't work. I'll kill you, then Ur next. I am the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory! My power is-!"

Gray encased his fist in ice and punched her away. His eyes were menacing, "Enough talk. Now we fight!"

Gray put a fist on his palm and yelled, "Ice Make: Lance!"

Several spears of ice flew at Ultear, but she held her hand out and shouted, "The ice's time will go to the future. Evaporate!" The spears dissipated into fog and vanished.

Gray tch'd and changed tactics, "Ice Make: Hammer!" A huge hammer appeared over Ultear's head, but she touched it as it came down and dissipated it as well.

She smirked, "Useless." The crystal orb she had multiplied and surrounded Gray, who created a shield of ice as they closed in, but it was evaporated just as quickly. Ultear yelled, "Flash Forward!" The orbs crashed into Gray at high speeds, making him grunt in pain as he was sent flying.

He twisted in midair and slammed his palms to the ground, "Ice Geyser!" A long line of ice raced at Ultear, but she evaporated it as well. Gray lunged forward and punched at her, "You should have seen her face when she realized you were alive. She was so unbelievably happy!"

"What's your point?" Ultear dodged his fist and kicked him in the jaw. "You can resort to close combat, now that your ice is sealed, but it's futile." Gray skidded back and encased his arms in sharp blades of ice.

Ultear sighed mockingly, "This again, little boy?"

Then to her surprise, Gray slashed himself with the ice. The ice stained itself red from the injury before he lunged at her again. Ultear frowned and held her hand out at him, "That won't work. I'll send that ice to the future and…?! What?!"

The ice didn't dissipate as Gray closed in and slashed her over and over again with a roar, "Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" Ultear sprawled on the ground, gasping in shock.

_No way! This guy…He froze his own blood!_

Ultear stood up shakily and faced him again. _I will not lose. I can't! _She put a fist on her palm and settled into a very familiar stance to Gray. His eyes widened as she screamed at him, "Ice Make: Rosen Corona!"

Frozen rose vines erupted around her and slashed at Gray. He fell to the ground from the force. Ultear panted for breath, but then Gray stood again, "Unreal. Your magic and Ur's are completely identical. I guess I should've expected that though…"

Ultear gritted her teeth in anger and hit him with another ice attack, "Shut your mouth!"

Gray took the attack head on and grabbed her, throwing her off-balance and sending them both tumbling down a hill at the edge of the forest. The two grappling mages rolled off the edge of a cliff and crashed into the sea. Not bothering to come up for air, Ultear attacked him again with her ice magic, but Gray countered easily. They fought under the water until they had to come up for breath.

Ultear gasped in air and dove down quickly, intending to strike her enemy before he could get oxygen. Her eyes widened in shock when Gray appeared right in front of her. It was obvious he was desperate for air, but his eyes were determined. A huge spear of ice encased Ultear and blasted her out of the ocean. _Ice Make: War God Lance!_

**/**

Gildarts disassembled and crushed Bluenote's spell, giving him a menacing look, "If you wanna fly so bad, then be my guest."

The S-Class mage raced forward and rammed his fist into the underside of Bluenote's jaw with a yell, _"Rising Empyrean!"_ Bluenote howled as he was sent skyrocketing upwards and out of sight.

Gildarts collapsed and caught his breath on the ground with a laugh, "Damn, I'm getting too old for this…"

**/**

Rogue lunged at Kain, who pulled the doll out again to change form once more, "Mist Doll!"

Kain dissipated, but Rogue burst into Dragon Force and brought Shadow Steel back, "That won't work this time!" He enveloped the katana in shadow. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Form of the Black Sword..."

Rogue slashed out with all his might to create a blade of shadows that annihilated everything before him as he roared, _"Darkness Wave: King Dragon Claw!" _

The mist body was blown away and forced back into it's original state. Kain fell to the ground, completely and utterly defeated. Rogue sheathed the blade as his enemy hit the earth with a resounding thud.

He glanced at the dark mage's twitching form and bared his fangs in a growl, "It's your own fault you tried to hunt me. Shadows cannot be captured, they simply swallow everything in their path..."

**/**

Ultear remained suspended in midair as she realized she had run out of strength.

Gray floated on his back in the sea, staring up at her, "Ur told me a story about you once. Just once, but I remember it. It confused me to no end. I couldn't understand how someone could be so ridiculously happy and sad at the same time…but I think I get it now."

The ice surrounding Ultear shattered and let her fall into the water. Gray froze the sea and went over to pick her up before getting back to the shore. He set Ultear down on the beach, allowing her to sit up leaning against a rock.

She stared at him and shook her head, "Is it so wrong that I wanted to be with my mother?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, but you're turning it into something twisted and evil." Gray answered.

Ultear shook her head again, "What would you have me do, then?"

Gray was quiet for a bit, just looking out over the ocean, "…Don't be like me. I was like you once, I lived for revenge. I wanted to kill Deliora, I wanted to make him suffer to avenge my parent's deaths. Between you and me, I still do…but Ur saved me from that."

He glanced at her, "Life can't be perfect. If it was, would it really be, 'living'? I've suffered. Ur's suffered a lot, too. And you, as well…Maybe we've done different things to get past it, and maybe not all of them have been good things. But we got stronger because of them, didn't we? That's the, 'power' Ur told me about during the exam. I didn't get it back then, but I know what it is now. Power isn't to get, 'What we want', it's to, 'Protect what we care about'. You have a chance to be with Ur again- don't let it go to waste."

Ultear bit her lip and looked down, "All I wanted was to be with her again..."

**/**

Hades tapped his fingers on the table in the dining hall.

Then he laughed unexpectedly, "Incredible, to think that all of the Seven Kin fell...And Bluenote! Makarov, you have a fine chess piece in the form of Gildarts. I wasn't aware anyone other than myself could stop him. That's not to say that Ur, and even Laxus weren't impressive units in your forces...You have raised some fearsome children, my old friend. But that begs the question:

Can they return from the Devil's maw alive?"


	13. Mistakes and Experience

**Alright, the big fight starts at last! Next chapter and the one after are probably going to be pretty big ones, so get ready for some of THE most intense fights I have written thus far. Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 13: Mistakes and Experience_

Meredy shrieked as Juvia chased her. It was tough running with Zeref, but at least Juvia was exhausted and had resorted to crawling rather than running, even if she looked really creepy.

"Meredy!"

The girl stopped running as Yowazu appeared in her path. He walked over to her with a look of thunder on his face, "Just where are you taking Zeref?! Are you and Ultear planning to betray us, after all?!"

Meredy shook her head, "No, that's not-"

"You are no longer part of Grimoire Heart!" Yowazu bellowed and smacked her away. He cackled madly, "Zeref is ours!"

Meredy struggled to stand up, "Wait! Zeref is Ultear's…is my future. She promised that if we made it to the great world of magic, my home would go back to normal!"

Yowazu stared at her pitilessly, "What a naive brat. Have you not yet realized that the one who destroyed your home was Ultear herself?"

Meredy's eyes widened. She stared at the ground and whispered, "You're lying…"

Yowazu started laughing again, but after being injured by his own axe, the blood loss had driven him off the edge to insanity.

He knelt down and started to pick up Zeref, but just then he whispered, _"Acnologia…"_

Juvia started with shock. _What…what did he say? What is…_

Yowazu tilted his head at Zeref, "Did you say something?"

Zeref glanced up at him, and Juvia realized something in his eyes was off. Before she could do anything, a black wave of energy tore out from Zeref's body and enveloped the clearing.

Juvia lost consciousness quickly, but she stayed awake long enough to see Zeref stand and toss Yowazu's body aside. _He killed him…just like that…! _

Zeref observed the scene with sad eyes, "Forgive me. I didn't even know your name..just another dark moment on my conscience. Well, at least the girls are okay…but still…"

After closing Yowazu's eyes, he started walking away, murmuring to himself, "I had no reason to arrive at this age. I did not want to be an ally or an enemy to anyone. But now…If this era is about to end, I might rise once again. I wanted you to destroy me before this happened, Natsu…"

**/**

Doranbalt hid behind a tree, shaking like a leaf at Zeref's speech. He dared to glance at the back of the legendary mage, eyes wide with fear. _Just now…Did he really just say, "Acnologia"?!_

_…If so…then…I can't say I like Fairy Tail, but even they don't deserve a fate like that. I have to do something, quickly._

**/**

Sting walked around the camp, testing the feel in his legs.

Lucy watched from the side, a little concerned, "How do you feel?"

"Not bad." Sting went to a tree and kicked it as hard as he could. The trunk snapped like a twig and toppled into several other trees, knocking down even more. Sting frowned, "Still not 100%, but it's getting better."

Levy muttered in Lucy's ear, "I wonder what 100% is to him, you know?"

Lucy laughed, but then lightning flashed overhead and she sighed, "It looks like it's gonna pour…"

"I hate lightning." Levy remarked.

Pantherlily was trembling, covering his ears with his paws.

Happy stared at him, "What's wrong, Lily?"

Charle smirked, "Are you afraid of lightning?"

Lily tensed, and Lector started laughing, "So you got a cute side after all, eh?"

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

Lily glared at them, "Sh-shut up!"

Natsu stood up from the tree stump, "Alright, guys…I think we'd better take the fight to them."

Gajeel nodded, "Yeah, Hades is still out on the wanted list."

"You're injury is too severe to fight someone as powerful as him. You're staying here." Levy said matter-of-factly.

Black Steel tch'd, but conceded the point, "This is messed up."

Mira came over to them, "We should probably split into, 'Attack' and, 'Defense' teams. I haven't finished treating the Master, so I'll stay."

Wendy stood up, "If Mira's staying, then I should probably go support the Attack Team."

Charle didn't look happy, but she sighed, "Well, I suppose the exceed should come too. We might be able to do something useful."

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

Lily nodded agreement, "The Grimoire Battleship is in the east at the sea."

Natsu growled, "I'm going."

Sting snorted, "That goes without saying. I am too."

Lisanna shook her head, "I'm staying here with Elfman."

Freed crossed his arms, "If Mira's here, the defenses are probably okay. Bixlow and I will go on the Attack Team."

Lucy looked uncomfortable, so Levy spoke up, "Lucy and I will stay here and help Mira out. I'm not as good as Freed, but I can still use runes. I'll put in some added protection."

Yukino clasped and unclasped her hands, "I think I'll stay and see if Rogue comes back. That decides it, right?"

"You people shouldn't decide anything yet."

The group spun around to see Doranbalt materialize at the edge of the clearing.

Lily growled, "I thought you left. Why are you here?"

Doranbalt walked over, "Believe it or not, I'm here to help you. Things just got extremely complicated."

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "How?"

The councilman took a deep breath, "Zeref intends to summon Acno-ugh!"

A fireball suddenly struck him in the back and knocked him out.

A Grimoire Heart grunt walked out of the woods with a mass of others behind him. He stopped and shouted at them, "Fairy Tail! You shall pay for what you have done to the Seven Kin! And we will be the ones who see that you do!" The mass of grunts roared behind him.

Freed unsheathed his sword, "It's never simple, is it?"

"Nope. This is Fairy Tail, after all." Levy said.

Natsu was staring at the leader of the grunts, "Fire mage, huh…Okay, let's change plans. I'm gonna stick around and recharge some more of my magic power by eating that guy's flames. Sting, you should take Wendy and…Lucy. Try and find Ur, Erza, Rogue, hell, even Gray, I don't care who, but get a team and head to the Grimoire Battleship. I'll meet you there."

Sting nodded, "Got it. I'll take the exceed too. Let's go!" He and Wendy ran out of the camp, the exceed flying close behind.

As Lucy started going, Natsu stopped her for a moment, "Hey, stay close to Sting, alright?" Lucy blinked and turned slightly red, "What?"

"He won't admit it, but he gets stronger having you around. I don't think he'll do anything overly stupid with you close by, so stay at his side." the Salamander told her with a wink and a nod.

Lucy's face flushed, but she smiled and nodded, "Okay!"

Yukino walked over, "Here, take Scorpio and don't forget to look after yourself. Now get going!"

Lucy took the key and ran after Sting and the others, while Natsu and Yukino turned with the rest of the Defense Team. The Salamander cracked his knuckles and bared his fangs, "Alright, I'm hungry, so bring it!"

Grimoire Heart charged the Fairies lying in wait.

**/**

Rogue stumbled through the woods, trying to head towards the source of the Grimoire Heart scent. He glanced around, but couldn't see anything but trees, even if he could hear the ocean.

His foot suddenly snagged on a root and he started to fall, but someone caught him. Rogue glance up and saw Erza, who smiled at him, "Are you okay?"

The Shadow Dragon nodded, and regained his footing, "Thanks."

They walked through the forest and reached the edge of the beach when they head Wendy call out, "Rogue! Erza!"

Sting, Lucy, and Wendy came up to them with the exceed. The group glanced over at the ocean, where the Grimoire Battleship was docked, a tall and menacing black object. They ran over and stared up at the eyepatched figure standing at the bow of the ship.

Hades.

The Guild Master stared down at them, "Come any time you're ready. Makarov's babies." He turned and walked into the ship.

Sting yelled after him, "How about _you _come _here?!" _

Rogue snorted, "He's very confident."

"He defeated the Master." Erza pointed out.

Wendy was still staring up at the ship, "If we can beat him, everyone could leave the island, right?"

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, we'd all be free to go."

Rogue glanced at the exceed, "I have a favor to ask of you guys."

Lector tilted his head, "What?"

"I want you to find whatever looks like this ship's power source and destroy it. If it starts moving while we're in battle, Sting and I would be crippled." Rogue explained.

Happy jumped, "Aye, sir!"

Wendy walked between the White and Shadow Dragons and began casting her magic on them, "I'll use Troia for now, so they'll be okay for a bit."

Erza stepped towards the ship, "If the exceed could drop us off up there and then fly into the ship, we'd be able to get started right off the bat. We'll have to go all out right from the start, okay?"

Sting growled, "Just let me get up there so I can floor that bastard."

Lector grinned, "Let's go!" He picked up Sting and shot for the ship. The other's followed immediately after.

The moment Lector dropped him over the bow, Sting activated his White Drive and smashed into the wooden floor, roaring at Hades as the dark mage turned, "Have a taste of Fairy Tail's power, Hades!" He released a breath attack that was aimed for the head of the "Devil."

Hades blocked the laser with one hand and smirked, "Fairy Tail's power?"

As the laser dissipated, Erza and Rogue appeared on either side of Hades with swords in hand. Hades' eyes widened as they attacked him in a cross formation.

"Shadow Dragon Fang!"

"Black Wing: Moon Flash!"

Hades skidded back, but Lucy followed up quickly, "Taurus!" The bull man slammed the flat of his axe into the dark mage's head, stunning him temporarily.

Wendy held her hands out, "Attack, Defense, and Speed in one go! Arms, Armor, Vernier!"

Erza and Rogue came at Hades with slash attacks again, but he dodged and caught Erza with a magic chain from his hand, "If you are going to be that relentless…"

Hades tossed Erza into Rogue, but it gave Sting the chance to leap above him, "White Dragon's Holy Breath!" The floor around Hades was destroyed as he was forced to one knee.

Erza recovered and shouted back, "Lucy, Wendy!"

The Spirit Mage nodded, "Scorpio!"

The scorpion man appeared and yelled, "I'll obey you since Yukino said so! Sandbuster!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy cried. The two twisters of sand and air combined as Erza lunged towards Hades.

The dark mage stared in shock. _Unison Raid?! _

Erza requipped to her Flame Empress Armor and yelled, "Spiral Flame Slash!"

The flames on her sword combined with the twisting energy and sent Hades flying, but he recovered quickly with a laugh, "Is that all?"

"Your guard's down, old man!"

Hades whipped his head up to see Sting and Rogue coming at him from above. They brought their fists back, cloaked in light and shadows that merged together.

To say the dark mage was surprised would have been an understatement. _Simultaneous Unison Raids?! _

_"Holy Shadow Dragon's Lightning Fang!" _the Dragon Slayers bellowed and lashed out, releasing a huge explosion of compressed darkness and light. Hades disappeared amidst the huge shock wave.

Sting and Rogue jumped back to the others. They waited tensely to see if they had succeeded.

As the smoke cleared, Hades' voice rang out, "The mistakes people make…are eventually labeled as, 'Experience.' But with a true mistake, no experience will be gained. For those who make the mistake of challenging me, they have no future at all."

Hades walked out of the debris, appearing completely unaffected.

Wendy put a hand over her mouth and gasped, "No way…"

"He's…completely fine…" Lucy whispered.

Rogue stared in shock, "I wasn't holding back…"

Erza said nothing. She couldn't believe it.

Sting felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, "His magic power's starting to shift…"

Hades glared at them, "Now…Are you finished warming up?"

The group flinched back as the magic power in the room swelled.

Erza shouted, "He's coming!"

**"KATSU!"** Hades roared.

Wendy's eyes widened in shock, then she quite simply disappeared.

Sting screeched, _"WENDY!" _

Lucy was horrified, "She's just…gone…!"

Rogue hissed in fury, "You bastard, what the hell did you just do to her?!"

"'Everyone please calm down. I'm fine…' Is what she says."

Everyone's eyes shot up, where a grandfather clock was sticking to the ceiling.

"Horologium!" Lucy said.

Erza sagged in relief, "Phew, too close."

"I am currently in automatic danger response mode." Horologium stated.

Lucy frowned at him, "Umm…I've been in _plenty _of dangerous situations up till now…"

The clock spirit sounded apologetic, "Forgive me, but the level of danger here is far beyond any previous situation."

Erza smiled, "Regardless, thank you for saving her."

"This is the only time I can do this. You'll have to be more alert from now on." Horologium vanished and Wendy dropped to the ground to face Hades again.

The dark mage stared at them intently, "So, this is what Makarov's kids have to offer, eh? Interesting, as expected."

Sting glared at him, "You know the old man?"

Hades raised an eyebrow, "Do you know nothing of me? I should be a common subject in your guild's files. I was the Second Master of Fairy Tail. My name back then was Purehito."

The group was shocked, to say the least, but Sting roared and charged him, "Don't bullshit with me!"

Hades' eyes darkened and he created an inscription in midair with his finger. A series of violet magic formulas appeared in around Sting and exploded. The White Dragon was sent flying, but Hades followed up quickly.

He pointed at the others and destroyed the ground at their feet with a huge explosion. While they scrambled to dodge, the dark mage caught Lucy and Erza with his chain magic and bound them together before creating another point-blank explosive that sent them flying apart.

Sting got back up and lunged at him, but Hades pointed his hand at him with a finger gun and shouted, "Bang!" A small shockwave tore through Sting's leg and tripped him up, allowing Hades to fire similar attacks at Rogue and Wendy.

He laughed as they all fell to the ground, "Hahahaha! Dance with my magic!"

**/**

Natsu devoured the flames from the last of the Grimoire Heart fire mages, "Whew, what a meal. I'm filled to the brim." He glanced at the others as they finished off the rest of the grunts, "I should probably go back up Sting's team. I'll see the rest of you later, okay?"

The group muttered agreement as he ran out of camp.

"Natsu!"

The Salamander turned and saw Lisanna run after him. She stood in front of him and put her hands on the sides of his face, whispering to him, "Please be careful."

Natsu nodded, "I will. I promise." Lisanna gave him a quick kiss, then he turned and ran for the Grimoire Battleship. _Wait a little longer, Sting. I'm on my way!_

**/**

Ur found Gray and Ultear on the shoreline. She ran over and dropped to her knees, staring wildly at both of them, "Are you okay?"

Gray glanced at Ultear and nodded, "We're fine."

Ultear stared back at her mother, "Ur…Mother, I…"

Ur cut her off and hugged her, not that Ultear could do anything about it, "You don't have to say anything. I'm just happy you're okay."

Ultear tentatively hugged her mother back, then struggled to her feet, "There's something I have to do…Can you take me to the Tenrou Tree?" Ur glanced at Gray, who shrugged.

She nodded, "Okay, then. What do you plan to do?"

Ultear started walking between Ur and Gray, who supported her injured body, "I need to begin my repent…"

**/**

Hades walked towards Sting and the other fallen mages, his voice echoing in the hall, "Do fairies have tails, or don't they? An eternal mystery and adventure…The origin of your guild's name probably sprung from that thought. But your path ends here."

He stomped on Sting's head and stared down at him, "Mavis's will was entrusted to me, and I in turn trusted it to Makarov. But it would seem that was a mistake. Makarov allowed too much sunlight on the guild's magic…"

Sting hissed up at him, "That's what Fairy Tail is to us! You live like you've already died, but we live like every day could be our last! Never holding back, giving it our all day by day…That's who we are!"

Hades actually smiled at him, "You are tenacious, aren't you child?" He fired another shockwave down and hit Sting's uninjured leg.

The White Dragon snarled in pain, but Hades started shooting him repeatedly, "You are the kind of man who tends to find someone to hate. If you haven't found that already, then hate Makarov. It's his fault you have to suffer and die like this…"

Erza yelled at him, "Enough!"

Hades ignored her and continued torturing Sting.

Wendy was crying helplessly.

Rogue struggled to his hands and feet, panting for breath.

Sting got on his knees and looked into Hades only visible eye, "You must be…Gramps's rival…"

Hades' eye became dark and he pointed his hand at Sting's chest, gathering far more magic power than before, "Enough of this. Now, you may die."

Lucy screamed, _"Stop it!"_

The magic charged to the point of firing, then there was a flash of black and his hand was forced to the side. The magic shockwave tore through the hull of the ship easily, blasting into the ocean.

Sting stared at the newcomer in shock as he growled, "So, this guy is the old man's rival?"

Natsu's fist slammed Hades away from his brother.

Rogue collapsed back to the ground and sighed in relief, "Natsu…"

Lucy wiped her eyes, "Thank you…"

Natsu flashed a grin at her, "No problem. This punk ain't allowed to die."

Sting tch'd and sat down hard, "You're late."

"Shut it, I was busy." Natsu snapped.

Erza called to him, "What took you so long?"

Natsu turned back to Hades and tossed the words over his shoulder, "I was busy dealing with this guy's grunts. They had a couple of fire mages hanging around, so I ate up before I came here."

Wendy's eyes widened, "Then, does that mean, you're…?"

Natsu nodded, glaring at Hades, "Yeah…

_I'm all fired up!"_


	14. Holy Blaze

**I loved writing this chapter. I wanted it to be original, and awesome at the same time...As an aspiring writer, I do my best to try surpassing my idols, so I gave it my all with this fight. I hope you like it as much as I do! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 14: Holy Blaze_

Doranbalt had teleported back to the wrecked council warship once he had awoken. There was simply no more time to warn Fairy Tail, and he doubted they would listen to him anyway.

Lahar stared at him as he finished reporting, "Zeref seriously plans to use Acnologia?"

Doranbalt nodded, "I'm sorry, I couldn't even move…"

Lahar shook his head, "That's fine, but…If Acnologia is coming here…" Doranbalt said nothing, so Lahar allowed himself to look somewhat panicked, "We're pulling out! The investigation of Tenrou Island is over and done!"

Doranbalt stood as the sailors started to get the ship moving again. He stared sadly at Tenrou Island. _I'm sorry, you guys. I hope you get away in time, because very soon…_

_This island will no longer exist…_

**/**

Natsu glared at Hades as the dark mage judged him with interest, "So, this is the Salamander, eh? Azuma praised you to no end for your power, about how thrilled he was that he might battle you…I understand that you didn't disappoint."

The Salamander snarled, "Nice words won't get you anywhere with me. I'm not about to hold back against you, so I hope you know how to dodge."

Hades laughed, "Interesting! You truly are one of Makarov's brats. Even if you aren't related, you're so much like him. Come, then!"

They faced off for a few seconds, allowing magic power to erupt from their bodies. Suddenly, red scales covered Natsu's body in flame patterns.

Hades's eye widened, "So, that's Dragon Force?"

Natsu got in his face before he could say anything else and hissed, "You tell me."

He kicked Hades in the jaw and stunned him for a vital instant. The Salamander lunged and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He slammed his fist into Hades' face and sent him skidding back before taking a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" A torrent of flame blasted Hades away into the air, Natsu quickly firing off after him.

The Salamander smashed the dark mage's head into the ground with another kick, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Hades rolled away as Natsu punched at his head again. The dark mage started to counterattack, but Natsu caught him with another breath attack and sent him into a wall.

Hades grunted and sent a magic chain after him, but the Salamander dodged easily. The chain caught hold of a huge globe in the middle of the hall and tore it free. Natsu leaped aside as it rolled towards him, but the globe started racing towards Lucy.

Sting ran forward and grabbed her before jumping away, missing the rolling object by inches. They crashed to the ground with Lucy on top of him.

She rolled off to the side and gasped, "Thanks..."

"No problem..." Sting muttered.

Hades pointed his hand at Natsu and stunned him with a shockwave. Natsu crouched for a moment that gave the dark mage the opportunity to write out a magic formula around him.

Erza yelled, "Natsu, look out!"

The Salamander's eyes went wide as the formula glowed and exploded violently.

As the smoke cleared, a blur shot out amidst the debris. Hades screeched as Natsu caught his throat with a lariat and smashed him into a wall. Not missing a beat, Natsu jumped up and brought his fist back, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist!" The Salamander roared as he blasted the dark mage over and over again with burning fists.

Hades finally escaped from the deluge and kicked him in the stomach, but Natsu grabbed his leg and threw him aside as he lit his arms on fire, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Hades howled as the attack sent him flying, but Natsu jumped after him and grabbed his collar, roaring in his face, "I'm not done with you! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" As they hit the ground, a huge fireball enveloped them and blew Sting and the others away.

Rogue put an arm out to defend himself from the flames, "Strong…!"

Erza stared at the blaze in amazement. _Was Natsu really this powerful?! _

The Salamander leaped out of the blast and skidded to a stop, dropping to one knee.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" Wendy cried.

Lucy sat up next to Sting as Natsu panted for breath, "Was it that spell that hit him a moment ago?"

Hades walked out of the explosion, looking battered, but relatively unharmed, "Impressive, but still nowhere near enough. Have you learned your place yet, Salamander?" Natsu glared at him, but the point was taken. The dark mage started charging magic power again, "Then you have my permission to disappear."

Natsu tch'd, "Damn…This guy's a real monster, huh…That just shows how far we've got to go…"

"What the hell are you talking about…" Sting growled as he struggled to his feet.

Erza shouted at him, "Natsu, you've got to move!"

Wendy screamed, "If you get hit, then that's it!"

"Natsu, stand up!" Lucy yelled.

Natsu shook his head, "I'm not at the top of our guild anymore, but…even if I'm not powerful enough to beat this guy..I can still get angry for what he did, right?"

Sting roared, "What the hell kinda stupid question is that?! Of course you can!"

Natsu slammed his fist into the ground.

Sting felt heat envelop his body and he stared down at flames licking the ground. _Natsu! Are you…!_

Hades let the magic loose and blew the starboard half of the ship to smithereens. Natsu fell to the ground, and collapsed.

Erza shrieked, _"NATSU!"_

The Salamander growled weakly, "That's everything…Sting."

Lucy glanced at the White Dragon, and was stunned to see fire coiling around his body.

Wendy gasped, "Wait…Did..did Natsu take that attack with no magic power?"

Rogue hissed, "That's suicide. He shouldn't even be breathing…!"

Sting glared at his brother, "Why did you do that? You know I can't…"

"You can." Natsu interrupted, "We can't take this bastard down separately, there's just no way…I hate to admit it, but you've got a better shot at beating him than I do right now…" Natsu gave him a fierce look, "He's the Second Master, so he deserves a proper burial…Turn him to cinders…"

Sting tch'd and bared his fangs, "I got it." His body flashed with light, turning the flames white. He gave Hades a look of absolute fury, "This is the Whitefire Dragon…Burn the sinners into ash…"

As Sting started towards Hades, Lucy stared at him in shock, "Hold on..did he just eat Natsu's fire?"

Rogue whispered, "They combined their magic like that…"

"White flames?" Wendy asked shakily.

Erza watched the Dragon Slayer approach the dark mage. _It's almost like Dragon Force, but…It's..more intense…_

Sting roared as the white fire enveloped his body. He shot forward, vanishing completely for a moment before he reappeared and smashed Hades' face in with a blazing fist. The dark mage was sent flying, but Sting lunged after him and stomped his back into the ground.

The white fire clung to Hades, who howled, "What is this burning pain?!"

Lucy was stunned, "Holy flames…Are they attacking the evil magic in his body?!"

"Awesome!" Wendy gasped.

Sting dragged Hades to his feet and grabbed his face before smashing him into the floor again. Hades screeched as the flames burned the dark magic out of him wherever they touched. He kicked Sting in the stomach and sent him skidding away.

Hades leaped back and sent an explosion after the White Dragon, but Sting vanished again. He reappeared behind Hades, who spun around. Sting disappeared again, seemingly materializing in multiple spots around the hall.

Rogue's eyes flashed around, "Where the hell is he?! I can't follow him!"

Erza was shocked, "It's just like Laxus' lightning body…!"

Hades was whipping back and forth every which way as the White Dragon raced around him. He faced the front again and suddenly got punched in the chest with incredible force.

Sting bellowed, "Whitefire Dragon's Flash Strike!"

Hades smashed into the wall on the opposite end of the room. The dark mage recovered quickly and caught Sting's wrists with magic chains, laughing, "Ha! Your arms are useless, now!"

Sting burned through the chains in seconds and ripped himself free, taking a deep breath as he did so.

Hades' eye widened, "What are you-!"

_"Whitefire Dragon's Purging Breath!" _Sting roared and let loose a huge breath attack at the dark mage. The blast wave erupted out of the ship's hull and sent the others in the room flying.

**/**

Laxus helped Gildarts to his feet as they watched the blaze of white fire tear from one side of the island to the other.

Laxus smirked, "Those kids…"

"They really don't know the meaning of, 'Overkill' do they?" Gildarts laughed.

**/**

The group at the camp stared at the huge breath attack go by.

Lisanna whispered, "White…flames?"

Mira glanced at her nervously, "Is it Natsu, or Sting? I can't tell…"

Bixlow shook his head, "I don't know, but…Damn…"

"That about sums it up." Freed snorted.

"Tch. Ain't nothing." Gajeel harrumphed.

Levy eyed him pointedly and muttered under her breath, "And yet you can't take your eyes off of it…"

**/**

The fire around Sting's body dissipated, leaving him panting for breath. The rest of the Attack Team watched tensely as the smoke cleared, but Hades was down for the count.

Sting growled at him, "That's what you get…you bastard…!"

Lucy ran and caught him as he fell to his knees. She hugged the Dragon Slayer to her as he rested his chin on her shoulder, "Thanks…I'm totally out, now…"

"Have I told you that you can really go overboard sometimes?" Lucy asked, laughing. Sting chuckled weakly.

Erza smiled at them. _He must be exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to take in so much magical power at once. _

Rogue crossed his arms, "That's it, then…"

"We won!" Wendy squealed.

**/**

Happy led the exceed as they crawled through the ventilation shafts.

Lily glanced around, "The lightning seems to have stopped…"

"Yeah, yeah, don't be scared big guy." Lector sniggered behind him.

Lily growled at him, "Shut up!"

Charle suddenly bumped into Happy and created a small chain of crashing cats. She hissed, "Don't just stop Happy!"

"…What is that?" Happy whispered.

They broke into the room Happy had found and stared at the object of interest.

Lector looked at it nervously, "That doesn't look like a power source…"

Lily scratched his chin, "'Grimoire Heart'…"

Charle glanced at him, "You don't think…"

Voices shouted outside the room.

Frosch spun around, "Wah, they found us!"

Lily ran for the door shouting over his shoulder, "I'll deal with them, you guys figure out how to destroy that!"

Happy stuttered, "D-destroy it?"

Lector glared at the thing in front of them, "Oh well, here goes nothing!"

The doors opened and Lily rammed into the grunts head on as he went into his battle form. One of them swung a huge sword, so he grabbed it and slashed the others away. The sword suddenly glowed and increased in size. Lily raised an eyebrow, "A sword that changes size, eh? Just like my Buster Marm…I like it. This is mine now."

Lily started slashing like a madman(cat?) at the grunts.

Lector looked back at the destruction and sighed, "Just like Gajeel. Nothing is too overboard…"

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

**/**

"…Such impressive youths…"

Sting froze in Lucy's embrace and stared behind her.

Hades was getting back up.

Wendy whimpered, "That's not…possible…"

"That damn Makarov…He's raised some fearsome brats. It's been decades since someone did this much damage to me. So long ago that the memory has faded…Well, it would be best to finish this now, but I have to thank you for giving me such great entertainment…" Hades stood and the dark cloak which had been destroyed in battle was replaced with a new one.

Rogue hissed, "This guy…he shrugged off Sting's attack like it was nothing…"

Hades removed his eyepatch, "Awakening…the Devil's Eye…I shall show you all something equally remarkable as what you showed me…"

Black magic erupted around his body and changed his appearance, making his ears more pointed, his eyes more beastly, and his hair whipped around menacingly, "This is the Abyss of Magic. A domain far beyond your wildest imagination."

Erza started shaking, "What is this magic power?"

"It's still rising?!" Lucy gasped.

Sting bared his fangs at Hades in a fierce smile.

Hades returned his glare, "This is your end…Third Fairy Tail."

Sting growled, but he almost collapsed.

Lucy tried to help him stand, "Sting! Get up!"

Sting slammed his fist into the ground, "Goddamn…I can't even move!"

Hades held a hand out to them, "To walk the path of magic is to sink into the deepest realms of darkness. At the end of the deep abyss…is the, 'One Magic'. I'm almost there…with Zeref's awakening, I shall finally touch that power to make one a God."

Lucy stared at him. _I've heard that somewhere before. Wait…Mom…? _

Hades started moving his arms in a formation, "You youngsters lack the resolve to accept the darkness. That is why you shall die here."

Rogue tensed, "What's he up to?"

"From the Chapter 4, Scripture 12 of the Book of Zeref…The Punishers of Heaven: Nemesis!" Hades chanted. The rubble at his feet suddenly turned black and swelled, changing shape until several demonic beings stood snarling at his side.

Sting hissed, "Demons…from the rubble?"

Erza felt sick just being near them. _Each and every one of those things is so powerful that even resisting would be suicide…! _

Wendy cried in fear as the Demons howled and screamed.

Hades watched them contemptuously, "This is the power of the Abyss of Magic, that can give birth to Demons from the lowliest of rocks. They are the children of the Devil, and the Judges of Heaven for sinners." The group cowered under the mass of black magic.

Sting bit his lip till it bled.

Lucy hugged him tightly, but he didn't care. _It's almost over, anyway…_

"What's wrong with you?" Sting heard Natsu growl, "Are you seriously just gonna give up?"

Sting didn''t bother looking up at his brother as the Salamander struggled to his feet, "What do you expect me to do in this hopeless situation? We're all out of magic power…There's no way we can take down a monster like that."

"…You haven't changed at all. You still get scared of stupid things like that." Natsu snapped.

The White Dragon whipped his head up to face his brother, who glared at him and went on, "Did you already forget what Gildarts told you? That if you keep living like this, it'll take your life…You just learned your fear, so are you going to wait and die? You're not alone, you idiot. I'm here with you…If you give up now, your admitting that this bastard was right. So get up!"

Sting stared at Natsu, then glanced at Lucy as she cupped his face with her hand. She was crying from the fear, but her eyes were determined, "I'm here too. We all are."

He let his gaze fall to the ground, then Sting gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet with Lucy's help, "Then…As long as I'm not alone, I won't surrender…Let's all stand up here..!"

Hades smirked, "That's a delightful set of words, but their meaning is empty. Such a waste of air will end now with this."

Sting caught his breath and glared at Hades from between Natsu and Lucy. _As long as I've got them at my side…_

Erza got into a crouch and rose up. _How could we forget, right Natsu? _

Wendy dragged herself to her feet. _Even if I don't have any magic left…_

Rogue braced himself against his katana and stood. _Even if my power is absolute zero…I won't surrender! _

Natsu bared his fangs at Hades and growled, "That's _our _Fairy Tail! Come on!"

They roared as one and charged Hades together.

Hades held his hands out, "What do you expect to do with no power left? Dance, my Demons of rubble and stone!"

The Demons flew at them, attacking in twisting masses of energy.

Sting almost tripped, but Natsu grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and yanked him back to his feet as they ran.

Two of the Demons snarled and reached for the brothers, but Wendy and Lucy grabbed at them and stopped them long enough for Natsu and Sting to run past.

Two more Demons snapped at them with huge jaws. Erza kicked one of them aside, while Rogue jammed his katana in the other's mouth.

Sting and Natsu lunged at Hades bringing their fists back in unison.

Hades made a formation with his hands and bellowed, "I shall send you to the bottom of the Abyss! It's time for your sun to set! Fairy Tail!"

The whole Grimoire Battleship shook with a titanic explosion.

Lucy stared into the explosion as the Demons tossed her and the others aside.

A black scarf flew out from the shockwave.

The smoke cleared, revealing Natsu and Sting striking Hades in the chest together.

The Demons shrieked and dissipated back to rubble. Wendy ran and caught Natsu's scarf before it flew off the ship.

Hades stared at the brothers in shock, "Wh-what?! The dark magic…How are you two still alive?!"

The brothers didn't bother to answer. Sting elbowed Hades in the gut and made him double over, while Natsu rammed his knee into his jaw.

Hades skidded back, coughing, "This can't be…my magic…! There's no way!"

**/**

Happy, Lector, Charle and Frosch stood smugly in front of the, "Grimoire Heart", having successfully destroyed it. They high fived each other while Lily grinned amongst the groaning dark mages.

**/**

Hades realized he was vulnerable. _My heart! _

He didn't get much time to think about anything else. Natsu and Sting hammered him with blow after blow, roaring at the top of their lungs.

Wendy saw something moving from where she sat at the edge of the ship that made her eyes widen, "Th-that's..!"

"What's wrong, Wendy?" Lucy asked.

Erza caught sight of the source of Wendy's shock and stammered, "No way. The Tenrou Tree…It's back to normal!"

The others stared as the huge tree shifted and slowly returned back into place.

**/**

Ultear panted for breath alongside her mother and Gray as she brought the Tenrou Tree back up.

Ur caught her daughter as she almost collapsed from the strain. She whispered softly to her, "Thank you. You did wonderfully."

Gray stared at the ocean, "What about Hades?"

Ultear shook her head, "The secret to Master Hades incredible magic and longevity was the, 'Heart' inside the Battleship…The 'Devil's Heart'. If it's destroyed, then Hades will…"

She fell unconscious, forcing Ur to come down with her and lay her down. The Wizard Saint glanced at Gray, "We have to trust the others. We've done what we can for them, with this…"

Gray nodded, "I guess…"

From the nearby shadows in the forest, Meredy watched them with intense eyes.

**/**

Power rushed like water over a dry stream into the bodies of the Fairy Tail team.

The marks on their bodies glowed as the magic filled them to the brim.

Rogue held his arms up, "Our magic power's back!"

Natsu and Sting's fists erupted with fire and light as they closed in on Hades again.

The dark mage seethed with rage. _I, the Great Hades…Even I..Have I truly lost to Makarov?! _

Sting yelled, "It's over for you!"

Hades quickly struck the oncoming brothers and stunned them with a screech, "NO!" He moved his hands and created a huge magic seal, "Until those of you who walk this path of magic reach it's peak, the Devil shall not sleep! Amaterasu 100 Formula!"

The magic seals around Natsu and Sting glowed to release and explosion, but just then they shattered to pieces.

Erza's eyes widened as a man dropped from the air and landed in front of the brothers, "Gildarts!"

The S-Class mage grinned, "Are you tired yet, kids?"

Hades started attacking again, but then a bolt of lightning crashed into him. Laxus punched Hades in the face and forced him back.

Natsu shouted, "Laxus!"

_"GET HIM!" _Laxus bellowed.

Lucy pulled out a gate key, "We don't have a contract yet, but I open the gate of the goat! Capricorn!" The white Goat Spirit rushed forward and elbowed Hades in the throat, following up with a series of rapid kicks.

Erza requipped to her Heaven's Wheel Armor and slashed at him five times in rapid succession, "Pentagram Sword!"

Wendy encased her arms in tornadoes and sent Hades flying, "Sky Dragon's Wing Strike!"

Rogue blasted him with a huge shockwave of darkness, "Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!"

Hades struggled to stay standing from the onslaught and bellowed, "Grimoire Law!"

He created a sphere of darkness in his hands, but Natsu and Sting rushed him as they chanted in unison, _"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"_

Hades' eyes were wide with fear. _I'm not going to make it! _

The brothers spun in a circle and sent forth a spiraling torrent of flames and white light, _"Crimson Light: Exploding Hurricaneblade!" _

Hades screamed as he was smashed into the ground and skidded several meters before he came to a stop and collapsed.

As he fell, the sun peeked over the sea and doused the group in its warm rays. Natsu and Sting panted for breath, then let loose the roars of twin dragons.

_This is our guild!_


	15. Acnologia

**And that's the Tenrou Arc...We go to the Grand Magic Games next! I'll have the first few chapters being the Tenrou Gang getting back up to speed, so expect them to meet in Crocas around say, Chapter 19 or 20? I have something special planned in between, so it'll be worth it! As always, thanks so much for reading!**

_Chapter 15: Acnologia_

Erza requipped to her usual outfit with a smile, "It's really over this time…"

"Better late than never…" Rogue snorted.

Wendy walked over to Natsu with his scarf, which had gone from black to white again, "I managed to fix it. Here you go!"

The Salamander took it back with a grin, "Thanks a lot!"

"You guys!"

The group turned to see the exceed running out of the ship with a mass of people scrambling after them.

The Grimoire Heart mages were screaming at the cats in anger, but the noise died down when Gildarts and Laxus stepped forward and glared at them menacingly.

One of them raised a shaky finger, "I-i-isn't that Gildarts Clive?"

"Laxus Dreyar too?!" another shrieked.

"Not just them!"

Everyone followed the source of the voice to see Makarov with the other members of Fairy Tail there.

The grunts all started backing up, but one of them screamed, "Look! Master Hades!"

At the sight of their defeated leader, the dark mages lost what little spine they had left.

Makarov spoke with quiet menace, "Get off this island immediately."

The grunts ran for it back into their ship, "We got it!"

"Yessir!"

"That's the warning shot!"

Once they were out of sight, the two groups met up with a Fairy Tail style reunion.

Natsu looked around, "Oi, where's the ice freak?"

Freed shook his head, "He hasn't been back to camp. Neither has Ur or Juvia."

Makarov walked by Laxus and glanced at him, "…It's nice to have you back…_Did you actually think I was gonna say something like that?! You shit for brains! What the hell were you thinking stepping foot on this island while you were still being exiled?!" _

While the Master screamed his head off, Laxus tch'd, "Shut it, you old fart."

The Thunder God Tribe spotted Laxus and leaped at him with tears and stupid smiles, "LAXUS CAME BACK!"

As Laxus was mobbed, Mira laughed, "'Still' being exiled?"

Sting cracked his neck, "Okay, so should we continue the exam?"

"Right now?" Lector asked in surprise.

Gajeel walked over and glared at him, "Did you get a screw knocked loose in your head or something?! You think you can beat me while you're that beat up?!"

Sting gave him an evil smile, "You know it! Right now I can use the Whitefire Dragon..mode…ugh!" Suddenly, he fell over like a wooden board.

Levy stared at him, "Sting?!"

"Who the hell falls down like that?!" Gajeel laughed.

Charle sighed, "Let's go back to camp. You lot need to rest."

Gildarts slung the unconscious White Dragon over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "Alright, let's go!"

Happy sniggered, "Sting's kind of a second thought, isn't he?"

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch laughed.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Back at the camp, Sting was snoring with absurd volume.

Elfman grunted, "Why the hell is he so damn noisy?! Can't he sleep quietly?!"

"Ah, give him a break Elfman." Natsu said.

Lisanna clapped her hands together, "Hey guys, check this out!" She messed with Sting's hair for a moment and lifted his head so he was wearing pony tails, "Natsu's got a twin sister!"

Natsu fell to the ground dying with laughter, "Hahahahaha! That's priceless!"

"That's so gross…" Elfman said, looking away from the sight.

Happy chewed on a fish as he sat next to Charle, "So that thing we destroyed was really Hades' heart?"

Charle nodded, "Maybe it was a coincidence, but we did a good job."

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

Lector glanced at the green exceed, "Is that all you say?"

Frosch nodded, "Aye!"

"Don't copy me!" Happy said, freaking out.

Gildarts smirked at Laxus, "So, I heard you got kicked out? What a looooser!"

"Piss off, pops!" Laxus yelled.

Evergreen smirked, "Hey, Laxus, Elfman did bad things to me while you were gone. Won't you get him back for me?"

Elfman yelled at her, "You bitch!"

Laxus walked over to Elfman, "Oh? When did you two…?"

"H-hold on, it's kinda hard to explain!" Elfman stammered.

Laxus put a hand on his shoulder and nodded sagely.

Elfman flipped, "WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"

Gray and Ur had been at the camp when they had returned, but Juvia crawled into the camp now, "Juvia is sorry! Juvia let Zeref escape! Gray, please punish me!"

Gray waved his hands frantically, "No way, I don't have those kinds of habits!"

"But I do." Juvia mumbled.

Sting snarled in his sleep, "Natsu, I'll kick your ass…"

"Like hell, white boy!" Natsu retorted.

**/**

The Grimoire Battleship flew away from Tenrou Island, still partially destroyed.

Kain and Kawazu sat in the destroyed hall with Hades. The silence was eerie.

But then footsteps echoed in the room.

Kawazu screeched, not in the mood for company, "Who is it?!"

"…People like you are the ones that created me."

The eyes in the room widened as the figure stepped out of the shadows, "It was your wicked thoughts that summoned Acnologia…and brought about the end of this era. And there isn't a soul alive who can stop it."

Hades whispered in shock, "Zeref…!"

Kain and Kawazu bowed immediately.

Hades glanced around, "Am I dreaming?" Zeref said nothing, just stared at him. Hades smiled nervously, "Bring me the keys!"

Kain shook on the ground, "B-but Master…We can't move…"

Zeref shook his head, "Those keys aren't necessary. I'm, 'Awake'. Maybe I'm not one to talk, but how many lives did you claim just to get those keys? It's terrible that those are simply an illusion."

Hades tensed, "What? But…I used my 'Devil's Eye' and saw you!"

Zeref glared at him, "I was never asleep. The man before you is the Black Mage Zeref."

Hades yelled, "You couldn't even defeat one of my underlings!"

"Then I can skip to the chase…That was my true power. Back then." As Zeref spoke, dark energy began to swirl around him, making the Grimoire Heart mages shiver in fear. Zeref looked down on them with contempt, "400 years ago, I saw countless humans die. But on a certain day, I came to learn, 'The Value of a Life'. Since then, my cursed body tears the life out of those near me because I don't want to kill people anymore. But that matter changes entirely if I forget, 'The Value of a Life'."

Hades was stunned, "You struggled with the weight of taking a life?"

Zeref nodded, "You were the ones who pulled the trigger. Acnologia will change everything. Your evil hearts have summoned it."

The Grimoire Heart Guildmaster stood abruptly in alarm, "Acnologia?! What do you mean?!"

"You must be punished. One sin is called, 'Acnologia.' The other is making me forget the, 'Value of a Life'." Zeref moved his hands in front of him into a formation, "Repentance."

Black energy ripped through the hall and struck Hades, who was killed instantly.

Zeref watched Kain and Kawazu weep over him, "Fall to the depths of hell, trash. Know your place."

A faint sound on the wind caught his attention. Zeref spun around to look through the opening of the ship, eyeing a black figure approaching the island, "He's come…

_"Acnologia!"_

**/**

The Tenrou gang had been relaxing for about an hour since the final battle with Grimoire Heart.

Everyone had gotten a shock when they learned that Gildarts was really Cana's father. Ur also said that she had reconciled with Ultear, though her daughter had decided to return to the mainland with Meredy.

Sting had changed into a dark t-shirt since his vest was in tatters and walked off amidst the chatter, going to the nearby cliffside. He sat on the edge, staring out over the water.

"Hey."

He looked over his shoulder and saw Mira walk up, "Is something wrong?"

Sting shrugged, "I don't feel very welcome back there."

Mira raised an eyebrow and sat next to him, "Why not?"

He shrugged again, "I just have issues with fathers…"

She blinked, "Oh, that's right, your father…but is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Sting asked.

Mira sighed, "Sting, I've known you since you were a kid. I can tell when your father's on your mind, but your behavior right now doesn't match up completely with what I'm used to seeing."

The White Dragon looked back over the water, "Am I acting funny? Sorry, I'll try to change that."

"…Lucy was asking about you earlier." Mira mentioned easily.

Sting glanced at her suspiciously, "What are you plotting?"

Mira gave him a teasing look that he decided he didn't like, "Whatever makes you think I'm plotting something? Could it be that you're nervous about something I said?"

_Damn her…_Sting forced out a laugh, "Ha! Nervous. Right. And what would I possibly be nervous about?"

A smile played on her lips, "Apparently nothing. Guess I was wrong, if you're that confident. I've gotta go help with lunch, so see you!"

The White Dragon was caught off guard by her apparent surrender. Mira got up and walked off back to the camp, while he stared after her.

After a few minutes of sitting rather uneasily now, Sting couldn't take it anymore and decided to go walk in the woods. He enjoyed the silence for about three minutes when someone called after him.

"Sting!"

The White Dragon turned and saw Lucy running towards him. She took a moment to catch her breath and then stared at him expectantly, "Mira said you wanted to tell me something? What's up?"

Sting paled. _Mira, you…! I should've known she wouldn't just leave without a catch! Freakin' Demon…_

Lucy frowned at him when he didn't say anything, "Is something wrong? Are your injuries acting up?"

He shook his head, "N-no, that's not it…" _What the hell do I do now?! I can't just send her back, Mira would…Actually, I don't WANT to think about what Mira would do. Shit, she caught me hook, line, and sinker just like that! _

Sting scratched the back of his head, "Uhh, I was just curious about when you found out that Gildarts was Cana's father. I didn't know you and Cana were that close."

Lucy's face cleared a little in understanding, "Yeah, she told me before the exams started, that's why I decided to be her partner…Oh, is that why you're out here? Because of what happened to your dad?"

His eyes widened in surprise. _Am I THAT easy to figure out? _

"…Yeah, that's it. I just don't feel comfortable around a touchy situation like that." he said.

Lucy smiled, "So, you just need some company? We can go for a walk if you want."

Sting figured that was about as good an option as he was going to get, so he nodded. They started walking through the forest in silence.

He wasn't really sure what to say. Sting felt like something was waiting to snap.

They reached a small grassy clearing that was cut in half by a small stream. He didn't know why, but the sound of the water made him stop walking and just stare as it ran over the smooth pebbles lying below. Sting looked around the place. The serenity was something he'd never quite sensed before.

He'd been so busy fighting nonstop ever since they'd come here, that he realized he had totally skipped over the island itself. Sting blinked as he felt the tension in his body relax from the feeling. _I really like this place…_he thought.

"..ing..St..tin..Sting…**Sting!**"

The White Dragon jumped as he was snapped back to reality.

Lucy was staring at him in concern, "Are you okay? You kind of spaced out for a second…"

Sting nodded, "I'm okay. Sorry, this place just…It's really nice…" He trailed off, half-losing himself again in the calm air.

Lucy continued staring at him, "I never knew you liked things like this."

"Well, we don't have them back at the guild. It's always chaotic there, even when we aren't fighting." he answered. Sting shook his head, "Sorry, I guess I made you wait a while. Let's go back, the others are probably looking for us."

He hopped over the stream with one go and took a step forward when he heard a squeal behind him. Sting half-turned in time for Lucy to crash into him and send them both down to earth. He almost growled, but the words died in his throat when he saw Lucy staring at him face to face from where she was laying on top of him.

Their faces were inches apart. Neither of them so much as breathed for a few seconds.

Then Lucy's cheeks went bright red and she stammered, "M-move…"

"You move…" Sting whispered.

Neither of them made any move to change their current position.

Sting's mind was racing, but he didn't trust the words to come out of his mouth. _What the hell's wrong with me? Why can't I move…? _

All he could do was stare back. Lucy's face was getting redder by the second. The silence in the clearing started growing on Sting again, altering his senses. Lucy's long hair was tickling his throat, but it felt like the grass pressing into his hair and neck. Her brown eyes were wide and bright, reflecting the light in a way he hadn't really noticed before.

_This place suits her…Wait…Did I really just think that? _To Sting, it seemed like someone else was in his head.

Lucy bit her lip for a moment, then stammered again, "U-umm, Sting? Uhh, can…" Her face flushed an incredible shade of red as she said something really fast and quiet.

Sting blinked and reacted against his will, "S-say again?"

Quite literally, he felt the heat coming from her face, she was so red. He was almost nervous she might catch fire.

Lucy swallowed nervously and whispered almost too quietly for him to hear, "…Can I kiss you?"

….._Wait…Did..she just say…? _

Sting lost most of his ability to come up with a reaction. He managed to pick one of his hands up and bring it towards her.

_Okay, stay calm..Just…try to keep this from getting out of proportion…_

Against his will, his hand came up behind her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

…._What the hell am I doing…? _His body wouldn't listen to him.

_Control yourself, you idiot! _Sting thought furiously, but it was pointless.

He felt his hand press softly against her head and bring her closer. Sting's eyes were wide, but he felt them closing out of instinct. Lucy's eyes fluttered shut as the distance got smaller and smaller…

**_ROOOOAARRRR!_**

Lucy shrieked and jerked away.

Sting's eyes flashed open instantly. _! Just now, that was…! _

They scrambled to their feet. His eyes shot from side to side, then scanned the skies.

Lucy stared around wildly, "Wh-what was that?"

"That was a _dragon…_" Sting whispered in shock.

Lucy's eyes got huge, "A dragon?! Here?!"

Sting grabbed her arm and shouted, "Come on!"

They ran for the camp, the serenity in the forest shattered and forgotten.

**/**

Erza saw them come out of the forest first and shouted, "Where the hell were you two?! When we heard the roar, we thought maybe…"

"Sorry, something came up." Sting muttered.

Lucy's face flushed red for a moment, something that did not go unnoticed by Mirajane. She raised an expectant eyebrow at the White Dragon, who glared at her with a silent message. _I'll get you for that later. _

Sting glanced at Natsu, "Was that really…?"

Natsu shook his head, "I don't know. We haven't seen anything since the first roar, but it was definitely a dragon."

"Y-you're sure it wasn't thunder?!" Lily stammered.

Sting began walking while scanning the skies again, "Whatever it was, I don't like that it just-?!" He bumped into Rogue, and flashed an irritated look at him, "Oi, pay attention would you?"

Rogue didn't respond, he was fixed on something in the distance. Sting froze when he heard the shock in his whisper, "What is _that?" _

He followed the Shadow Dragon's gaze until he caught sight of something huge…and black.

**_ROOOOAAAARRRR!_**

The group covered their ears as a second titanic bellow assaulted the air. The huge black figure descended from the clouds, flapping it's wings and thrashing its tail. Sting glimpsed curved claws and massive fangs.

"A Dragon…" he whispered.

Wendy started shaking, "Is that…real?"

"S-seriously?" Gajeel stuttered.

Rogue's eyes were wide, "They still exist, after all…"

Natsu hissed tensely, "I knew it…"

"The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse…"

Everyone whipped around towards Makarov. The old man actually looked _afraid, _"Is this the one called Acnologia?"

Gildarts nodded, "That's him, all right…"

"You! You know where Igneel is, right?! Grandine and Metalicana too!" Happy yelled.

Lector's tail bristled, "Happy, shut up!"

Overhead, Acnologia changed direction and started flying down to them.

Freed shouted, "It's coming down!"

Acnologia crashed into a cliff overlooking the camp and roared at the group below.

**_"RRRAAAGRAAAAHHHGGGHH!"_**

Everyone flinched instinctively, eyes going wide in fear. The exceed's fur fluffed up. Lucy grabbed Sting's sleeve and tried to hide behind him.

The White Dragon got a look at the beast's eyes that made his blood run cold. _This thing…_

_It's here to kill…_

Acnologia jumped off the cliff and dove at them like a jungle cat.

Gildarts bellowed, "RUN FOR IT!"

Sting watched in shock as the black dragon landed on the camp and destroyed everything in sight just by hitting the ground. The earth shifted violently under his feet and sent everyone flying.

Elfman shouted, "Is this for real?!"

"Look at that destructive power!" Levy gasped.

Gildarts grabbed Cana and yanked her aside when she screamed, "Where the hell did this thing come from?!"

"Never mind, just get to the ship!" he shouted.

Freed and Bixlow leaped aside as Acnologia snapped at them with its huge jaws.

Erza pointed everyone in the direction of the sea, "Run! We're all going home! Back to Fairy Tail!"

Acnologia pursued them, destroying anything it touched as it slashed and bit at them.

Charle shrieked as it almost took a bite out of her and Wendy, "Wendy! Can't you talk to dragons?!"

She shook her head, "I can't talk to them, but all dragons are incredibly intelligent! That dragon should be able to understand words!"

Acnologia snapped at them again, but Laxus grabbed them and leaped away with inches to spare.

**/**

Zeref watched clouds of smoke rising from the island as the great black dragon attacked. He shook his head, "Words are meaningless to it. Humans are no more than mere insects for the dragon. A person wouldn't stop and talk to a fly buzzing around you. It's the same thing…You also wouldn't even bother taking an obnoxious insect seriously for even a moment."

The dark mage sighed, "In this world, there are some things you simply cannot fight against, no matter how hard you try. Mankind will relearn this shortly. It would seem we shall be embarking on a long journey again. This era is almost over. Farewell, Natsu."

**/**

Acnologia lowered it's head and roared at the running group, blowing away everything.

Natsu skidded to a stop and growled, "Damn monster!"

Rogue stopped beside him and flashed a glance at the Salamander, "Let's see if it's defense is as strong as it's offense."

Natsu nodded, and the two Dragon Slayers turned and lunged at the oncoming black dragon.

Ur screamed back at them, "Idiots! Turn around!"

Natsu and Rogue leaped up and blasted Acnologia with shockwaves of fire and darkness.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

"Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!"

The dragon's head went up in smoke as the attacks exploded in flame and darkness.

The Salamander and the Shadow Dragon landed on the ground and backed up warily.

Natsu muttered, "How's that?"

A few seconds passed, then Acnologia roared again, even more powerful than before. The smoke was blown away, along with the Dragon Slayers and the surrounding forest, much to their shock.

Rogue flew right through a tree and hit the ground hard. As he struggled to his feet, he glared at the beast in disbelief, "You must be kidding me..That thing took a direct hit, but it's completely fine!"

Gajeel grabbed his brother and leaped away as Acnologia attempted to stomp him. Black Steel tch'd, "That thing ain't normal…Is it immune to Dragon Slayer magic or something?"

Natsu snarled as he stood up, "Bastard…"

The huge black dragon lunged at them with open jaws, but Sting jumped up and yelled, "White Dragon's Roar!" The laser blasted Acnologia's head into the ground, forcing its jaws to snap shut short of the other Dragon Slayers.

The White Dragon landed and backed up with the other three, skidding to a stop several meters away.

Makarov bellowed at them, "Stop it, you brats! You'll get yourselves killed!"

Natsu glanced to his left at Sting and muttered, "Are we doing this?"

At his brother's nod, the Salamander turned to his right and got the same response from Gajeel and Rogue. The four of them stood in the now snarling black dragon's path.

Makarov blinked at them. He didn't like the way they looked, "Brats! Get back here now!"

"Get lost, old fart." Gajeel snapped.

Levy stopped and spun around with Pantherlily, "Huh?!"

Sting shook his head and growled, "This is our problem. It's a dragon, and we're Dragon Slayers. We've got to be the ones who fight this thing…"

Ur stared at them fearfully, "Stop this…You can't seriously mean to…?"

Yukino ran towards them with Frosch and Wendy, "If you guys are fighting, then so are we!"

Rogue's katana flashed out and he slashed a straight line in the ground behind the Dragon Slayers. The whole group froze as he roared at them, "That's the dividing line. Don't try to cross it, and those of us on this side won't either."

Mirajane put a shaky hand over her mouth, "…What…?"

"Natsu!"

The Salamander looked over his shoulder and caught Lisanna's eye. She looked terrified, but he gave her a reassuring grin, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"Shut up, you brats! I am the Third Master of Fairy Tail!" Makarov started stomping towards them, "You will obey my orders- gah!"

Sting spun around and hit the old man square in the chest with his White Dragon's Claw, creating a stigmata on him.

Makarov froze where he stood, eyes and veins bulging, "Brat…!"

"Shut it, gramps. Oi, Gray, get the geezer outta here." Sting said with an irritated tone.

Gray stared at the Dragon Slayers, then nodded with a strained expression. He picked up Makarov and threw him over his shoulder, running back towards the ship.

Wendy screamed at the older Dragon Slayers, "I'm a Dragon Slayer too! Let me fight with you, I can help!"

The four said nothing, just raised their right arms in unison. Wendy froze as they made the Fairy Tail sign with their index finger and thumb.

Laxus' eyes widened, "You guys…"

The rest of the guild turned and followed him, crying as they ran. Erza shouted as the guild retreated, "Please, be safe!"

Lucy brought up the rear of the group, stopping one more time to glance back at the Dragon Slayers.

Sting watched her stop and nodded at her, "Go."

Lucy bit her lip, "But I-"

_"Go." _he interrupted.

She stared back at him for a few moments, then turned and ran for it, disappearing with the others.

Acnologia bared it's fangs at them, releasing a slow breath in the faces of the Dragon Slayers.

Sting wrinkled his nose, "You reek. Ever heard of breath mints?"

"I doubt this bastard even knows we're Dragon Slayers. We're just in its way." Gajeel growled.

Natsu hissed, "It's in _our _way. Don't pronounce us dead so easily."

Black Steel smirked, "Fair point. I still have to kick your ass, you annoying flame."

"Just try it, you tin can." the Salamander retorted.

Rogue took a step forward, "You three talk too much. We've got a dragon to slay, so let's get to work."

The others nodded, "Right."

Acnologia seemed to sense the change in them and inhaled to roar again.

Natsu was faster. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

When the blazing deluge hit Acnologia's lower jaw and snapped its mouth shut, the beast slashed at them with its claws, but the Dragon Slayers jumped away to the sides.

Sting jumped on its leg and then up above it while he clapped his hands together, "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Arrows of light rained down on Acnologia, making it twist and roar at Sting as he came back down.

Gajeel got above its head and turned his legs into iron pillars that crushed the black dragon's head into the earth, "Iron Dragon's Guillotine!"

As Acnologia's head came up again, Rogue slashed at its legs with Shadow Steel, "Shadow Dragon's Tail Slice!" He caught the black dragon on the inside of the elbow joint and made it stumble.

Natsu and Gajeel went in for another attack, but Acnologia flicked them aside with its tail and stood up.

Sting kicked it in the jaw, "White Dragon's Wave Fang!" The light from his kick sealed itself to the black dragon's scales and exploded.

Acnologia hissed and head butted Sting to the ground. Rogue went in to slash at its leg again, but the great black dragon swatted him away with a huge clawed hand into several trees.

Sting snarled as he got up, "That's it, you bastard…"

White scales appeared over his body, giving the other Dragon Slayers the cue to also activate their Dragon Force.

Gajeel hit the black dragon's face with a breath attack to get its attention. When Acnologia roared at him, he pointed his arm at its mouth, "Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!" The iron spears found their way into Acnologia's mouth. The black dragon shook its head irritably and bellowed even louder at Gajeel, blowing him away.

Sting curled his middle and index fingers with his thumb and fired a sphere of light at Acnologia's face, "White Dragon's Holy Blast!"

Acnologia caught the attack on its nose and flicked the attack back to Sting, who jumped and dodged.

The black dragon attempted to slash at him with its claws, but Natsu rammed into it's side in a flaming head butt, "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Acnologia staggered from the force, but snarled in response.

Rogue followed up while it's footing was still unsteady, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" He punched the black dragon in its shoulder, further disrupting its movement.

Sting leaped up and swallowed a mouthful of air before he bellowed, "White Dragon's Holy Breath!" The huge breath attack caught Acnologia in the side and finally made it trip and fall over with a furious roar.

As Sting landed, Gajeel screeched, "Now! Get him!"

Natsu went for Acnologia's snarling face, Gajeel leaped above it over the black dragon's back, while Rogue targeted the neck, and Sting went for the belly.

They chanted together, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"

Natsu hammered it with rapid blazing strikes, "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist!"

Gajeel created a huge sword of iron and crashed it down on Acnologia's side and back, "Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"

Rogue buried his katana in shadow and slashed at the black dragon's throat, "Darkness Wave: King Dragon Claw!"

Sting spun in rapid spirals at incredible speed, blasting Acnologia with countless blades of light, "Bursting White: Light Hurricaneblade!"

Acnologia roared as the attacks made contact, but then gave a mighty heave and sent all the Dragon Slayers flying. They crashed into the surrounding area, taking down trees and boulders with them as the huge black dragon stood and bellowed it's fury to the world.

**"GRRAAAHHHHHH!"**

The scales on Natsu's body vanished and he gasped, "I'm out…"

"Me too…" Sting muttered.

Rogue struggled to a kneeling position, then caught sight of something where he was standing. They had landed on the other side of the line he had made earlier. The Shadow Dragon made a wry smile, "Well, I guess we broke out promise that no one would cross the line."

Gajeel tch'd, "You're still going on about that, huh? I didn't promise shit…"

Sting laughed at him dryly, "You were thinking it. Don't lie."

Black Steel grinned as Acnologia lowered its head and bared it's fangs at them, "This is messed up. Guess I'll have to kick your ass in the next life, Salamander."

Natsu smirked, "We'll see…"

Rogue lowered his gaze and gritted his teeth, "Did we really do the right thing?"

Sting nodded, also looking down, "We bought them time, that's all they needed. They'll live on…"

Acnologia roared and got ready to deliver the final blow. The Dragon Slayers braced themselves, but the attack never came.

Footsteps did instead.

Sting's head shot up as Wendy ran right past them, face hidden behind her long blue hair. Acnologia slammed it's tail down, but Wendy rolled aside and jumped on it, grabbing at its scales with tears flying from her eyes.

She glared up and screamed at the huge black dragon, _"Give me back my brothers!"_

Rogue was stunned, "Wendy!"

"You idiot! Get the hell outta here!" Gajeel roared.

Acnologia shoved her away to the ground and dove at her with gleaming fangs.

Natsu yelled, "WENDY!"

At the last moment, a massive fist suddenly came out of nowhere and crashed into Acnologia's jaw in a vicious uppercut.

Makarov grabbed its neck and smashed his forehead against it with a bellow, **"DON'T TOUCH MY BRATS!" **

The Dragon Slayers watched, stunned, as the giant forced the huge black dragon back.

Natsu's eyes were huge, "Gramps, you too?"

"Tch. Ain't just him."

Laxus walked up behind them and smirked at Natsu, "Come on, you didn't actually think we were gonna bury you twice, didja?"

The rest of Fairy Tail flew out of the forest with Erza crying at the head, "CHAAAAARGE!" The guild roared behind her and assaulted Acnologia as it raged against Makarov.

Natsu stared at them as they attacked, but grinned, "You idiots."

Makarov yelled as he wrestled with the great black dragon, "ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP YOU BRATS! HIT THIS BASTARD WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, AND THEN SOME! ANYBODY WHO SAYS, 'THIS IS ALL I'VE GOT', I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

Gajeel cackled, "Gee-hee! The old fart's going nuts!"

"Even Gramps got all fired up, eh?!" Natsu laughed.

Makarov pushed Acnologia away and Fairy Tail unleashed its attack.

Erza answered first, "Heaven's Wheel: Blumenblatt!"

"Ice Make: Rose Garden!" Ur shouted.

Mira followed up, "Evil Explosion!"

"Super Freeze Arrow!" Gray bellowed.

Lucy and Yukino flashed out their gate keys, "Sagittarius!" "Scorpio!"

Juvia let a torrent of water loose, "Water Nebula!"

Levy's hands danced in the air, "Solid Script: Fire!"

Freed slashed with his sword, "Been a while since we all fought together!"

"Bring the pain!" Bixlow yelled.

Evergreen just fired needles of light.

Cana flashed out her cards, "Heaven, Reverse Towers, Mountain! Summoned Lightning!"

The mass of magic enveloped Acnologia, who roared a challenge.

**"RRAAAAHHHH!"**

**/**

A young woman watched the battle from afar, smiling despite the violence, and clasped her hands in prayer…

**/**

Acnologia snarled in contempt.

Makarov tch'd in his Titan Form, "DAMN MONSTER. STILL LAUGHING, EH?! LAST CHANCE YOU BRATS! HEY NATSU! YOU KIDS STILL GOT FIGHT LEFT IN YA?!"

Natsu laughed while he stood up, "Do you even have to ask?"

Gajeel smirked, "We'd be shitty Dragon Slayers if we let that one fly."

"Indeed." Rogue growled.

Wendy's eyes were abnormally fierce, "We can't lose! We're all going home!"

Laxus glanced at them, "I'll join you for this one."

"Thanks for the support." Sting muttered, facing Acnologia once more.

The Dragon Slayers charged the black dragon as Makarov shoved it away one more time and reverted to normal, roaring in unison, "Let's go!"

Laxus shouted, "Gajeel!"

"Yeah!" Black Steel jumped up and yelled, "Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!" The iron spears embedded themselves in the ground around Acnologia's feet, who growled in confusion.

Gajeel glanced back, "Your turn!"

Laxus let loose a huge thunderbolt that flew to the steel spears like lightning rods and created a chain of lightning that erupted upwards and blasted Acnologia with a pillar of thunder. "Lightning Eruption!" Laxus bellowed.

Acnologia roared and snapped its body, breaking the lightning away as it rose up on it's hind legs to crush them.

Natsu and Wendy flashed past it in a cross formation, combining their respective Dragon Wing Attacks, "Sky-Flame Dragon's Firestorm!"

The great black dragon was surrounded by a blazing twister that constricted its movements, but it roared as it started lowering itself back down and blew the attack away.

As Acnologia came down, Sting and Rogue rushed forward and aimed for its belly.

The White Dragon hissed, "Have a taste of this, you bastard!"

He and Rogue fired a condensed burst of shadows and white light straight into the black dragon's stomach, "Holy Shadow Dragon's Lightning Fang!"

Acnologia was lifted off its feet and smashed into a cliff behind it, becoming buried in rubble.

Fairy Tail watched the rock and debris tensely.

Sting growled, "Did we get it?"

"No." They turned around at Gildarts' reply, "This thing isn't using the same strength it used when it fought me. It's just playing with you."

The others went silent in shock, but Acnologia burst out of the rubbled and flew straight up.

Frosch was crying, "Wh-what's it doing?"

Happy muttered nervously, "Maybe it wants to go home…"

Charle shook her head, "Since when were things that easy?!"

Acnologia stopped moving up and hovered several hundred feet above the island. It began to inhale, charging immense magic power in its mouth.

Gajeel screeched, "It's a breath attack!"

Lily stared at him in shock, "That thing could blow the whole island away!"

"Just go home, will ya?!" Lector yelled.

Erza glanced around desperately, "Can anybody use defensive magic?!"

Freed nodded, "I can draw runes-"

"Don't bother."

Everyone stared at Rogue as he glared up at the great black dragon, "There isn't enough time. He'll fire in seconds."

Lucy fell to her knees, "What do we do then? Do we just give up?"

"Like hell, we will!" Lucy jumped as Sting snarled, "Even if he blows us to smithereens, don't you _dare _give up. Show that bastard it can't just put us down cause' it wants to!"

Makarov nodded, "Let's all join our hands. We'll show him the strength of our bonds." He reached and took Laxus' hand, then Lector's.

The others connected, until Lucy was the last one left. Sting and Natsu reached for her. Sting grinned, "We're going back home." Lucy's eyes widened and she bit her lip, then took the brother's hands and stood with them.

She leaned against the White Dragon's shoulder and whispered to him, "Let's go home."

Acnologia fired it's breath attack straight down at Tenrou Island. The whole island was blown apart, obliterated to such an extent that a crater was created in the ocean below.

**/**

Zeref eyed the explosion with a calm expression, his face giving away nothing.

**/**

On the wrecked warships, Doranbalt and Lahar watched the shock wave roar out in horror.

**/**

Ultear and Meredy screamed and covered their ears from the force of the blast.

**/**

Acnologia stared down at where the island had been, its jaws smoking from the breath attack. The sea surged forward to fill the empty space, creating a large whirlpool before settling down to calm again.

There was nothing to suggest that an island had been there at all.

**/**

Zeref closed his eyes in acceptance, "It's over then…Natsu."

**/\/\/\/\/\**

_January 16th, X784, Tenrou Island. Eradicated by Acnologia. _

_The dragon once again vanished from sight. The surrounding waters were searched and investigated for half a year afterwards, but no survivors were found. And since that day…_

_Seven years have passed._


	16. Fairy Tail, X791

**Okay, so about two or three more chapters before the Grand Magic Games start! Again, I'm redoing the text layout, so some changes have been made to the story that you may want to go back and check out if you haven't already.**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 16: Fairy Tail, X791_

"…Is it really around this place?"

"That's what Ichiya and the others from Pegasus said…"

"There's nothing to see here though…"

**/**

_Seven years have passed since Tenrou Island was eradicated by Acnologia. _

_During that time, Fairy Tail fell from it's glory with the loss of it's core members, becoming the weakest guild in Fiore. It now has it's headquarters in a run-down shack on the edge of Magnolia. _

_Most of it's members from seven years ago have left the guild when it lost the majority of it's business requests, so only a few members from seven years prior remain, though Romeo Conbolt, who idolized the core members, has not smiled since they disappeared. _

_In addition, Fairy Tail has reluctantly sought help from Twilight Ogre, Magnolia's new main guild. Twilight Ogre frequently harasses Fairy Tail for payments, often destroying the guild in the process. Their most recent assault left Fairy Tail in a dire situation. _

_However, a few days after this, during late April of X791, Blue Pegasus discovered a disturbance in the seas where Tenrou Island disappeared. Now a few of the last Fairy Tail members have gone on a last, desperate search for their lost friends before their guild is taken out of business._

**/**

Bisca sighed, "Was it okay that we didn't bring Romeo along?"

Her husband, Alzack, nodded, "Maybe we should have brought him, just in case…"

Max was looking over some maps, "It's not for certain that even if we find the island that everyone will be alright."

"We shouldn't get our hopes up…Hey!"

Warren yelled at Jet and Droy as they started dancing on the deck of the ship, "We'll see Levy again!"

The telepath shook his head, "We've had no word from them in seven years. Think of the worst case scenario…"

The excitement died down on the ship.

Max looked up from his maps and spotted something on the water, "Oi, what's that?"

Bisca glanced at the figure with her sniper scope, "A…person? Standing on the water…?"

A young woman smiled at them from a distance and raised her arms up.

The sea began to boil, shifting violently. Everyone on the ship quickly grabbed onto something as a mass erupted from the ocean. A great tree in the shape of an hourglass

Max yelled in shock, "It's Tenrou Island!"

"Seriously?!" Alzack shouted.

The young woman turned and ran for the island.

"Go after her! She's heading to the shore!" Warren commanded.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

They docked the ship and reached the shore quickly.

By then, the young woman was almost out of sight, so Alzack yelled, "Jet!"

"Got it!" Jet replied, sprinting after her with his High Speed Magic. He followed her to a small clearing and stopped in his tracks when he spotted something half buried under rubble.

Max called him a little ways behind, "Jet! What's wrong?"

When the others reached Jet, they quickly realized the reason for his sudden stop. An arm, a leg, and a head with spiky salmon hair were all that was visible from where they stood.

Bisca covered her mouth with her hands while Alzack whispered in shock, "Natsu…!"

**/**

"Oi, Romeo…was it really okay for you to stay here?" The Fourth Master of Fairy Tail, Macao, asked his fourteen year old son.

Romeo shook his head nonchalantly, "Even if they do find the island, there's no guarantee that they're still alive, right?"

Laki tried to make a reassuring smile, "Don't be like that! We have to believe!"

Romeo shrugged, "Whatever…"

The door to the small guild was suddenly kicked in.

Five men swaggered in, the leader brandishing a huge spiked club. The leader smirked, "Oi, oi, oi! You've got less people again…Is this even a guild anymore? It's more like a friendship club!" The men behind him laughed raucously.

Wakaba pointed a finger at him, "Teebo! The payment's due next month isn't it?!"

Teebo sneered, "Well, our Master said that simply won't work. We have to get the money at all costs."

"We don't have to give you guys anything." Romeo stood up, a fierce light playing in his normally dull eyes.

Teebo cocked his head, "What's with your shitty attitude brat?"

Romeo created a fireball in his hand, "My dad and the others are pathetic that they let punks like you take over. I'm gonna fight! At this rate Fairy Tail's name will be worthless!"

Teebo blew out the flame in his hand, raising his club, "That name became trash long ago. You guys will never be above us for as long as you live!"

He started swinging the club down, but then someone reached up behind him and grabbed his arm with an iron grip. Teebo half turned to spit at the newcomer, "And who're you?!"

Romeo froze.

The eyes in the guild widened at the newcomer as he fixed Teebo with a glare, "I was just gonna move you away…but you're pissing me off!"

His fist exploded with fire and smashed Teebo into the wall on the other side of the room.

The other members charged him in unison with yells of anger.

One of them was blasted with a laser, another smashed with a club of iron.

The third was cut with a blade of shadow, while the fourth was sent flying by a twister.

The first newcomer grinned, baring very sharp-looking canine teeth, "We're home!" Natsu led Sting, Gajeel, Rogue, Wendy, and the rest of the Tenrou gang into the beat down guild hall.

Macao started sobbing, "You…y-you guys…"

Romeo stared at Natsu in shock.

Laki, Nab, and Vijeeter started crying in happiness. "You're so young!"

"They haven't changed at all in seven years!"

"What happened?"

Lucy laughed nervously, "Well, you see…"

**/**

_"Natsu! Wake up you bastard!" Jet shook the unconscious Salamander like a rag doll. _

_Natsu growled in annoyance, "Shut up, I wanna sleep! And you're too noisy!" _

_Warren, Max, Jet, and Droy jumped on him with tears and stupid smiles, "NATSU!" _

_The Salamander yelled, "OW, DAMMIT!" Then he blinked his eyes open and stared at them, "Oi, what are you all doing here…And what the hell, did you age some?! Droy, you're fat!" _

_Alzack spoke urgently, "What happened?" _

_Natsu scratched his head, then tensed, "Acnologia! Where are…" _

_"They're here." _

_They stared over at the young woman who had led them here. _

_Natsu gave her a guarded expression, "Who?" _

_The woman smiled at them, "I'm Fairy Tail's First Master. Mavis Vermillion." _

_"Eh…EHHHHHH?!" They all yelled in shock. _

_Mavis led them around the area for a few minutes, gathering the other missing members of the Tenrou gang. Once they were all together, she gave them an explanation, "Back then, I took everyone's strong faith and converted all of it into magic power. It allowed one of the Great Fairy Magics, 'Fairy Sphere', to be activated. It is a magic that protects the guild from any evil, an absolute defense. But everyone here was sealed in a frozen state…and though Fairy Sphere was released, seven years have passed." _

_The Tenrou gang was stunned, but Makarov still smiled at Mavis, "To think the First Master would protect us…" _

_Mavis shook her head, "No…I'm just an ethereal body. I had to give it my all, with everyone's strong feelings. Those unwavering bonds and faith will bring even miracles to your side. Third Master…you've done a wonderful job. It's become a beautiful guild…"_

**/**

"…And then she left…Ah, well…" Makarov finished.

Romeo was still frozen to the spot, staring at Natsu, who caught sight of the young teenager. Natsu grinned, "Romeo, you grew up!"

That did it.

Romeo started crying like no tomorrow, as the core members finally recognized the boy as the small child they'd seen seven years ago. The young boy cried in joy, "Welcome home Natsu…Everyone!"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Fairy Tail celebrated relentlessly throughout the rest of the day, catching up with their old comrades.

Romeo created a fireball and showed it to Natsu, who laughed, "You can use fire magic too?"

Happy jumped, "This guild's gonna get hot again, right?"

Romeo's flame turned blue, "I can make a cold flame, a sticky purple flame like my dad's, and a funny smelling yellow flame. Rainbow Fire Magic!"

Natsu recoiled when the yellow flame appeared, but Gajeel frowned, "I've seen that magic before…Oi, kid, where'd you learn that?"

Romeo glanced at his dad on the other end of the room then whispered to Black Steel, "Don't tell my dad, but I go to Totomaru Sensei's magic classes."

Gajeel grinned, "That guy…So that's what he's up to these days, huh?"

Rogue smiled, "You look happy, for once."

Romeo's smile faded a little, "There is a subject that's taboo to him, but I'll tell you later."

Pantherlily raised an eyebrow, "Taboo?"

Laki glanced over, "Oh, you're talking about…right…"

Natsu's eyes flashed between them, "Well, don't keep us hanging, what's up?"

Romeo shook his head, "I'll tell you later, I promise. It concerns you, actually."

Natsu frowned, but he took Romeo's word for it.

Erza was stunned by Alzack's announcement, "M-ma-married?! You and Bisca?!"

He nodded, "Six years ago."

Erza bowed with a red face, "C-congratulations! I feel a little inexperienced now…"

Lisanna clapped her hands together in excitement, "Do you two have any children?"

Alzack nodded, a grin breaking out on his face, "I have a daughter named Asuka."

"…Oh, it's 'Bisca' and 'Alzack' put together! I get it!" Yukino deduced.

Wendy was staring with teary eyes at a drawing Reedus had made of what she might have looked like seven years older, "U-um, Reedus…I got bigger, but…I didn't get any, 'Bigger' did I?"

Reedus looked nervous, "Oui? Is there something wrong with my drawing?"

"Welcome back everyone!"

The guild turned to the door when five people walked inside, led by…

"Lyon!" Natsu said excitedly.

Lyon glanced at the Salamander and grinned, "Natsu! Been a while, I didn't get to see you when you first came back!"

They gave each other a high-five. then Natsu glanced at the others, "So, these are you're guild mates? Which guild did you join, again?"

Jura walked over with a smile, "Lamia Scale. You're Natsu Dragneel, aren't you? Lyon's told us much about you and Sting. I'm glad to meet you."

Natsu grinned, "Same here. What'd you guys come here for?"

A doggish man yelled at him, "Oi! We were the ones who helped look for you guys the most! Don't be ungrateful!"

The Salamander flashed him a glare, "Ah? I wasn't trying to be ungrateful, but you wanna fight, or something?"

"Same old matchstick, I see…" Lyon mused.

Natsu got in Lyon's face and growled, "What'd you call me, you ice freak?!"

Lyon glared back at him, "Matchstick, you stupid flame."

They were probably about to blow the guild hall to smithereens when Lisanna grabbed Natsu's arm, "Hey, Natsu! Don't fight right now, okay?"

Natsu kept glaring at Lyon, but shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

Lyon smirked, "Looks like Lisanna tamed this dragon, eh?"

"Shut up you icy prick!" Natsu hissed.

Jura stepped between them, "Now, now, the important thing is that everyone's safe. Toby, don't explode over such a small misunderstanding."

The doggish man calmed down, "Yeah."

Sherry glanced over, "That was close. I thought Yuuka was going to have to seal your magic, Toby."

A short man with huge eyebrows glanced at her, "I ain't here to keep the dog on a leash."

Lyon looked around the room and caught sight of Juvia, who stared back at him. Lyon immediately went over and grabbed her hands, "Is this what they call, 'Love at first sight'?!"

Juvia blushed an incredible shade of red, "H-huh?"

Lucy's jaw dropped in shock, "Well, he didn't waste any time, did he?"

Gray rolled his eyes, "Here we go again…"

Lyon was at Juvia's mercy, so Natsu sniggered, "Who's tame here?"

The Ice mage was too captivated to react to the laughter at Natsu's comment echoing around the room.

Lucy glanced at Sting, "You've been very quiet. What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "Nothing…"

His eyes were fixed on Gildarts and Cana, as they made an undignified spectacle of a father and daughter. Sting suddenly got up and almost made it to the door when they flew open and Ichiya, along with the Trimens, walked inside.

The short man sniffed the room, "Ah, what a nostalgic parfum! Erza, my love- gupah!"

Erza smashed him into the ground when he tried to sniff her. Hibiki, Ren, and Eve started hitting on the girls, as usual.

Hibiki winked at Lucy, "Beautiful as ever, I see."

Ren was tackled by Sherry, "Ren, I missed you!"

"D-don't be so clingy! I'll fall even more in love with you…" Ren muttered.

Eve made the mistake of taking Yukino's hand, "Let's enjoy this time, okay?"

Rogue walked up behind him and let off a menacing air, "Hey you. Hands off."

Eve trembled in the Shadow Dragon's presence while the others laughed at his fear, though it wasn't like it lasted very long.

Mira called out as Sting attempted to leave again, "Sting! Wait up, we're going to play a game!"

The White Dragon looked over his shoulder, "Do I have to?"

She nodded with a big smile, "Yes, you do. No arguments."

Gajeel glanced over in disinterest, "What sorta game?"

Mira's smile got even bigger, "Truth or dare, of course."

Fairy Tail froze.

When some people made excuses to leave, Mira shouted, "I asked Freed to set up runes, so you can't escape until the game is over!"

They groaned in defeat at the Demon's clever trap and got in a circle to play. The older people, those being Makarov, Jura, Ur, Macao, Wakaba, and Gildarts, sat at the bar and watched the others get ready to play.

Cana took a card out and put it in the middle of the circle, "This is a lie detector card. If you lie, it'll turn red, so don't lie."

Some people, specifically most of the males, glared at the card with a look of menace.

Cana sighed, "And if you try to destroy it, I have way more of them, so just don't bother, okay?"

Lucy chirped, "I'll ask first!" She turned to Erza, "Erza, truth or dare?"

"Dare. Give me your best shot!" Erza stood up with a determined look.

Lucy thought about it, then smiled mischievously, "I dare you…to not bash anyone for the rest of the game."

Erza looked reluctant, but she made her sword vanish and sat down, "…It's as you say."

"My honey!" Ichiya started sniffing Erza as she trembled in an effort to control herself.

Happy sniggered, "Lucy's got a mean side, after all."

"Hey! I couldn't think of anything, okay?!" Lucy snapped.

Erza was next, so she spoke to Ichiya, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare! My lovely parfum!" he answered.

Erza didn't hesitate a second, "Remain at a minimum distance of 20 feet away from me for the rest of the game."

Ichiya cried, but he backed away and accepted his fate. The little man pointed at Rogue, "Men! Truth or dare?"

Rogue looked like he couldn't care less, but muttered, "If I must, then truth."

Ichiya hummed and then snapped his fingers, "Ah! For Eve's sake, I shall risk this question: What is your relationship to the lovely girl Eve asked for earlier?"

Rogue replied easily, "Yukino is my mate."

The whole room went quiet for a moment.

Then just about everyone screamed, "EHHHH?!"

Rogue blinked and glanced at Natsu and Sting, "What, you haven't told them?"

Natsu averted his eyes, "Why would we tell them something like that?"

"I know about it." Lisanna said.

Lucy nodded, "So do I-"

"NATSU!"

Elfman roared, making everyone flinch, "What the hell have you guys kept from us?!"

Natsu shrugged uneasily, "Well, uhh…"

Sting sighed, "Oh, let me tell them. Us Dragon Slayers have dragon instincts, right? Well, that actually goes a lot farther than you'd think. When we find a person we come to, ah…Like in _that _way, there's an Instinctive Spell that activates called a Dragon's Bond, assuming our desired partner thinks of us the same way. But it's a one-time deal, so we have to be careful with it."

Sherry stared at him, "One-time deal? What do you mean?"

"It means, we can have special feelings for one person throughout our lives. Only one, there is no second chance. The Dragon's Bond only works for that person we choose." Wendy explained, blushing slightly.

Hibiki's jaw dropped, then he recovered and looked sorrily at the male Dragon Slayers, "I'm so sorry. It must be terribly difficult avoiding all the lovely women here, knowing you can only find one…How do you control your animal side with all those huge racks-gupa!"

Gajeel bashed him in the head with an iron pillar and growled, "Shut it, playboy! Ain't none of your business what we do!"

"Well, it's MY business all right! When the hell were you planning on telling us about this?!" Elfman demanded.

Sting shook his head, "Never. Well, not me anyway. I haven't had any problems with my instincts, so why would I?"

Cana's lie card went red the instant those words left the White Dragon's mouth.

Mira smirked at him, "Sting, you're lying…What are you hiding from us?"

Sting glared at the card with hatred, "Nothing. The card must be faulty."

"My cards ain't faulty, stupid." Cana retorted.

Elfman interrupted them before Sting could make up another excuse, "I don't care about that! Natsu, does that same thing apply to you and my sister?!"

Natsu stared at him uneasily, "Well, yeah…"

"So then _what _have you done to her?! What did you have to do to become…_that._" Elfman practically spat the word.

Natsu tilted his head, "Do? Huh?"

Elfman took a tense breath, "Do you know what _mate _implies?"

Silence once again filled the room as everyone grasped that question. Then Natsu and Lisanna, not to mention just about every other person in the room blushed furiously in the face.

Evergreen smacked Elfman with her fan and shrieked, "What the hell are you thinking, asking a question like that?!"

Elfman looked very uncomfortable, but he still grunted, "Well, Natsu?"

Natsu was staring at him with a incredulous look, his face burning red…and actually burning with fire.

Gildarts added fuel to the fire when he laughed from the bar, "Haha! Natsu's gettin' some!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!" Natsu screeched.

Sting was unaffected for the most part, so he tch'd, "Alright, you dirty minded freaks, it doesn't work like _that. _The Dragon Slayer and their desired partner just have to confirm they have mutual feelings, and that's it. The Dragon's Bond spell activates on its own. Easy, and not nearly as filthy as the rest of you punks."

Most everybody relaxed slightly, though Elfman's shoulders sagged like he'd dropped a massive weight, "Phew…"

"So, when did this happen? I'm curious." Mira asked sweetly.

Lisanna let out a long breath now that the most awkward part was out of the way and glanced at her sister, "Two…no, it's nine years now."

Erza gaped, "But hold on, that would have been before Natsu went to Edolas, so how is that possible if you two couldn't even get near each other back then?"

"Yeah, where was I when this happened?" Elfman asked.

Natsu shifted uncomfortably, "…You were, uh…beastly…"

Elfman frowned, then realization dawned on him and he looked away, "Oh."

Sherry clapped her hands together, "If you guys have this connection or whatever, does that mean you plan on getting married?!"

"You would ask that." Yuuka muttered.

Yukino laughed nervously, "Well, maybe, but personally I don't really mind. The connection is wonderful on it's own."

Erza shook her head, "I won't stand for that. I'll give you time to do it yourself, but make no mistake when ALL of you Dragon Slayers hit 20 years, you WILL be married, and I will plan all five of those weddings myself."

Natsu muttered, "Pushy."

"I don't give a shit." Gajeel grunted.

Sting tch'd, "What makes her think she can order me around?"

Erza gave the three of them a death glare, **"Are you defying my orders?!"**

The Dragon Slayers cringed and choked in unison, "No…Not at all!" The room roared with laughter at their fear.

But Sherry spoke up again, "One thing doesn't make much sense to me. You said you had to confirm that you hold mutual feelings, but is that it? No kissing, or anything?"

Gajeel chuckled as he put his hands behind his head, "If only you knew. I don't know much personally, but Metalicana said that dragons and we Dragon Slayers get a little crazy when the bond is first made. And for him to talk about crazy is sayin' something."

Romeo stared at him, "Crazy…how?"

Black Steel smirked, "Quote the dragon bastard, 'Air won't be that important to you, you'll be too busy feasting.' Gee-hee!" He laughed as the expressions on the faces around him became twisted in horrified amazement.

Elfman growled again,_ "Natsu…"_

"Didn't happen! I was half-dead, I swear!" Natsu yelped.

Erza stared at Rogue with a huge blush on her face, "What about you?"

"I don't think I'm going to grace that question with an answer." Rogue said calmly, though even the usually calm Shadow Dragon's face became slightly red, not that it compared with Yukino's steaming features.

Sting decided to intervene, "Well, now that the conversation has gotten awkward beyond belief, let's try to play the game again, okay? I think it was…Rogue's turn now."

The Shadow Dragon sighed, "It would seem so. Hmm…Romeo."

Romeo nodded, "Dare."

Rogue thought about it for a second, then he made up his mind, glancing over at the people at the bar who were chatting with their backs to the group, "…Light your old man's clothes on fire when he isn't looking."

Romeo's eyes widened, then he grinned maniacally, "Sounds good."

"Oi, get me a drink, would ya?" Natsu asked.

"Sure." Romeo walked over and ordered a drink from Kinana, while the group in the circle pretended they were talking to avoid suspicion.

As he came back, he sneakily tossed a small flame onto Macao's cloak, trying not to laugh as he came back, gave Natsu his drink and sat down, "Okay uh, Sting, truth or dare?"

Sting shrugged, "Truth, I guess. I don't feel like doing much."

Levy raised an eyebrow at him, "You know, you've been kind of out of it since we came back. What's up?"

He ignored her and waited for Romeo to come up with something. The boy clapped his hands together and gave him a curious stare, "I was little when you disappeared, so maybe I missed it or something, but what happened to your dragon? I heard that he died, but…"

Sting didn't react immediately. Natsu gave him an uneasy look, but the White Dragon sighed, "He did die. But he didn't just fall over, he was killed."

Romeo's eyes widened, "Killed? How? By who?"

Lector was sitting next to Sting, and also looked interested, "You know, you never did tell me who it was."

Happy nodded, "Yeah, I don't know either. Natsu, do you?"

Sting fixed his brother with an intense look, but the Salamander nodded, "I know, but it's up to Sting if he wants to tell you or not."

Romeo watched Sting expectantly, but he shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

Lyon smirked, "Well, I thought nothing had changed in seven years, but Sting became a recluse. What, did you kill the dragon yourself?"

Sting froze and Natsu almost choked on his drink, but no one noticed.

Then Sting snarled at Lyon, "Don't even joke about that. Mira, truth or dare?"

Mira blinked away the startled expression on her face from the White Dragon's outburst, then smiled, "Truth."

"What do you hate the most?" Sting asked quickly.

Mira got a deadly look in her eyes, "Dragon Slayers who get my sister caught up in something serious and don't tell me about it until nine years pass." Natsu and Lisanna cringed, but then Mira laughed, "Oh, relax, I'm only joking. Hmm, I hate bugs, so cockroaches?"

Sting made a mental note to remember that one, so Mira continued the chain, "Lucy, truth or dare?"

Lucy opened her mouth, then a yell was heard and Macao started stomping on his burning cloak.

The group in the circle laughed as he glared at them, "That ain't funny!"

Lucy got her laughter under control and answered Mira, "Dare. I kinda like a little risk in a game like this."

"So do I."

Everyone started in surprise as Leo appeared out of midair. He tried hitting on Lucy, "Master, I missed you so much! We should have a romantic reunion or dinner…"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "We're playing a game. Sorry Mira, what's the dare?"

Mira got a glint in her eye that Sting decided he didn't like. She smiled deviously, "Hmmm, you remember that talk we had on Tenrou Island?"

Lucy blinked for a moment, then blushed, "Uh, maybe?"

Mira turned her focus to Sting, who mouthed silently, _Don't you dare…_

"Kiss Sting and hold it for five seconds."

Jaws hit the floor all around the room.

This time, Natsu did choke on his drink, and started beating furiously against his chest until he swallowed and gasped in air. Loke stuttered, "Wh-what?!"

Lucy was red as a strawberry, but Sting growled at Mira, "Oi, didn't you hear what we just told you? I can't do something like that."

Mira gave him a sly look, "But you said that's only for people with mutual feelings, didn't you? You told me on Tenrou that you didn't have any interest in Lucy…Or were you lying again like you were earlier?" Sting let a guttural growl erupt from his throat, but Mira was unfazed.

Lucy stammered, "H-hey, can I just do truth instead?"

Mira shook her finger at the embarrassed blonde, "No, and even if I let you, I'd ask which man in Fairy Tail you'd like to fall in love with. Sorry Lucy." She didn't look sorry at all as Lucy went even redder.

Levy gasped, "Lucy, you…Really?!"

"What the hell do you see in that flashlight?" Gray asked.

Lucy flashed a nervous look at Sting, but he stood up abruptly with a growl, "You're not funny, Demon." He then stomped over to the bar, snapping in irritation at Kinana for a drink.

Sherry sighed, "Oh dear, that isn't a good start for love."

Lucy stared after him sadly, so Erza intervened, "Mira, maybe we should call it quits with this game before things start getting really bad…"

Mira looked dissatisfied, but she nodded.

Lyon snorted, "It isn't like this place to be all down and disappointed."

"Oh yeah, alcohol, alcohol!" Cana yelled.

Kinana called from the bar with a big smile, "Drinks on the house!"

Everyone in the room roared with new energy and started to party again.

**/**

Sting winced at the noise and growled, "So noisy." He took a long draught of his water and glared at the bar, gripping his drink tightly.

Gildarts leaned over with a smirk, "Women, huh?"

The White Dragon flashed a glance at him, "Don't get me started, old man."

Gildarts laughed and shook his head, "Ya don't have to be nervous about it. Lucy's a pretty girl, and you only live once."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sting snarled.

The S-Class mage sighed, "Maybe not, but I think she'd be good for you. Even with your ah, instincts, you could at least give her a chance."

Sting looked away, "I've only got one chance, and I don't think I'll ever use it. It just isn't worth it in my case."

Gildarts raised an eyebrow at him, "And why's that? You're one of those guys that girls tend to fall head over heels for. Even if you don't consider Lucy, then-"

"-That isn't what I mean, old man." Sting interrupted. He got up and left the bar, going out the front door to the outside.

The White Dragon jumped onto the roof of the small building and stared up at the starry sky. The constellations kept reminding him of a hurt girl in the guild below him. Sting sat down, propped his elbows on his knees, and rested his chin on his clasped hands, deep in thought.

What bothered him more than anything was Cana's lie card earlier. _I haven't let my instincts loose before, so why did it go red? Was it because of back then, on the island? _

Thinking about that made him remember how his body had seemingly overridden control from his mind. He shook his head and lay back on the roof, listening to the excited voices beneath him and the wind rushing above.

Sting sighed, closing his eyes amidst the shock of what had seemed like a few short days for him, and what was now haunting him from his past and present.

..._Dammit, Lucy, what are you doing to me?_


	17. My Choice

**Hehehe...Can you guess why I'm laughing? No? Well, you'll find out after you read this...even though it'll sound a little creepy afterwards...aw, what the heck, I'll do it anyway! I believe I promised this scene in the Lost Dragon Slayer? Yeah, not saying anything more for those of you who haven't read it yet. For those who have, yes, I changed the chapter title to something more fitting. The previous title, "Fix You" will be a later chapter after I had a great spark of inspiration (Hint. I just gave you one. XD) Anyways, Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 17: My Choice_

The day after their return was the day they realized what bad shape they were in.

Fairy Tail as a guild had crumbled to dead last in Fiore, and their financial status was the biggest issue yet. Very few, if any jobs ever went to Fairy Tail since it had degraded so much, so it wasn't like everyone could go on a mission and make some cash.

And their world had changed with seven years having gone by. The Tenrou gang's homes and belongings were all hidden away in various places with their sudden disappearance, but they weren't having much luck finding their things from before.

Makarov tried to seem optimistic, "Our guild is going to start from the ground up again. Think of this as an opportunity to start fresh."

That helped a little, but not much.

Lucy had a big problem: The rent for her apartment was off the charts high, and there was no way she was getting back in there with her old stuff anytime soon. She ended up getting a new set of clothes since she was definitely NOT going to wear only the ones she had on Tenrou.

She ended up getting a white and gold-trimmed top that stopped at the top half of her stomach with a blue heart in the middle, a sleeveless blue and gold-trimmed jacket, along with blue and white cuffs that ran from the middle of her biceps down to her wrists. A dark blue skirt, thigh-high socks, and a pair of brown boots finished off her wardrobe. Lucy also started keeping her hair up in pigtails.

Oh, did I say Lucy had _A_ big problem? Scratch that, she had two.

Try and guess what the second was.

She hadn't seen Sting very much at all lately. Since the night of their return, he had basically disappeared and she only ever saw him coming to or leaving the guild. Lucy had only seen that he was doing okay on the streets of Magnolia once.

Twilight Ogre had not been happy with the way Fairy Tail had busted up Teebo and his crew. Apparently, Makarov sent Sting to, "Negotiate." Lucy had glimpsed him walking into the guild with Gajeel and Rogue, so she followed them in to find out what they were up to.

The guild there were yelling at the Dragon Slayers, who were talking to the Guild Master, Banaboster, there. Banaboster looked angry, "I told you we want our money, now! You have to pay back what you owe!"

Rogue sighed, "It's not like we can make money appear out of thin air. You'll get it, just wait a little bit."

"Now that the Tenrou gang came back, we'll get more jobs for certain." Sting explained.

The man kicked his table aside from between the couches where the negotiations were taking place and bellowed, "We don't have our money, and to top it off, you three and your other two dragon brats put the hurt on five of my men! What's our guild's name gonna reflect thanks to that?!"

Gajeel bared his fangs, "Ah? We came to deal cash, but you're gonna talk trash? Hey, nice rhyme, I'll have to remember that one."

Sting glanced at him, "Please don't."

The Guild Master was livid, "You brats aren't even taking this seriously!"

Sting turned back to him. Lucy flinched at the fierce glare he gave the Guild Master, "Take it seriously? I just wanted to talk this over and get lost, but you're callin' shit like honor into this? Here's our answer to _that._"

Silver dragon scales covered Gajeel's arms, "You gave our guys hell for seven years you bastard."

"In addition, you've constantly damaged our guild. That may be your excuse for not getting paid yet, but for us it's a reason." Rogue growled, black scales appearing on his face.

Banaboster stared at them uneasily, "Reason for what?"

Sting's body flashed with white scales and he got in the Guild Master's face as he hissed, "War, you son of a bitch."

Lucy left the building quickly.

Three seconds later, there was a scream and the guild of Twilight Ogre exploded. A crowd quickly gathered and watched the Dragon Slayers burst out of the rubble, dust themselves off, and go their separate ways like nothing had happened.

Lucy had followed Sting to an alley, but when she got there he had already vanished.

She also had a third issue, but it wasn't really as big as the others. That's what she told herself anyways.

Since seeing Cana and Gildarts together, she had actually wanted to see her dad and find out how he was. So when she went to the merchant town, Acrifa where he'd worked seven years prior, Natsu offered to come with her since the Take Over siblings were out on another job.

**/**

As they walked through Acrifa's streets, she took the chance to try and make him cough up some info on Sting's little attitude problem, "Hey, have you talked to your brother lately?"

Natsu glanced at her as they walked through the town, "No, he's been doing his own thing. I've barely seen him…Is this about what happened the other night?"

Lucy looked at the ground and nodded, "Mmhm…I just don't understand why he just blew up like that..."

Natsu sighed, "Yeah, I figured. I'm not sure exactly what was going through his head, but I think you caught him by surprise. You got me, that's for sure. When I saw you two in Edolas, I thought _maybe, _but…I guess he still hasn't broken out of his shell."

Lucy raised her eyes to stare at him, "Shell? What are you talking about?"

The Salamander was quiet for a bit, then slowly replied, "Let's just say…In his mind, Sting probably tells himself that he's protecting you by keeping at the, 'Friend' level. On the other hand, even though I'm his brother, I've never seen him act like that. I think you're getting to him, and he doesn't know how he should react to it because of what happened before…"

"Before? Did he…was there another girl that…?" Lucy asked.

She was almost afraid to know, but Natsu shook his head, "Not quite, uh…It's up to Sting if he wants you to know the whole story, but if it makes you feel better, there wasn't another girl that made him like this. And it's not something you did, he's just…confused."

That did make her feel a little better, but not much. _If it's not me, then what is it?_

When they finally reached the merchant guild, Natsu glanced up at the building's entrance, "Love and Lucky? I don't think I've ever been here before…"

Lucy smiled at the sight, "You know, my mom told me that before I was born, the, 'K' was missing from, 'Lucky' so it looked like, 'Lucy'. She said that's how her and my dad named me."

Natsu blinked in surprise, "Really? That's pretty cool, being named after a guild like that."

They walked into the guild and over to the nearest open counter, where a woman was going through some papers.

Lucy got her attention, "Excuse me?"

The woman glanced up and smiled, putting the papers aside, "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for someone named Jude Heartphilia. He's a member here, right?" Lucy asked.

The woman looked startled, "Ah…You are Mr. Jude's daughter, aren't you?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes!"

She looked away uneasily, making Natsu frown, "What's wrong? Did he resign or something?"

"Is he not here?" Lucy sounded disappointed.

The clerk looked very nervous, "Er…umm..There really…isn't an easy way for me to put this…"

Natsu's eyes started getting wide, but Lucy blinked in confusion, "Huh?"

"…One month ago, Mr. Jude passed away. It was a great loss for us…" the woman almost whispered.

Lucy froze…_What…?_

**/\/\/\/\/\**

She didn't say a word the whole way back.

When they reached Magnolia, Natsu finally had it with the silence, "Are you okay?"

Lucy gave him a small smile, "Yeah. Sorry, it's just…that caught me off guard…I'm not sure how I should feel."

"Most people would have started crying a long time ago, but you're a lot tougher than I thought." Natsu offered.

Lucy laughed slightly, "Yeah, I guess, but when I think about it, I never really liked my father. He was always obsessed with work when I was little. Then he pulled that thing with the Phantom War. Knowing him, he probably overworked his body into the ground. It's weird though…I feel sad, but I just can't cry. I can't tell if I love him, or hate him…"

Natsu looked serious, "You know how my dad's been gone for years now. I kinda know how you feel, but let me just say this: Whether you cry or not has nothing to do with how you feel."

Lucy flashed him a grateful look, "Thanks. I really am okay, though…"

**/**

They walked through the city back to Fairy Tail and were about to go through the doors when they flew open and Sting met them face to face. His eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but then went back to a calm stare.

He looked them over then walked pass them, throwing a few words over his shoulder, "Doesn't look like you got any money, Natsu. Heard you saw your old man, Lucy. How was that?"

Natsu's eyes started smoldering, but Lucy suddenly snapped. She didn't care what his deal was, she was just sick of him acting like he didn't care.

"He died." she said flatly.

Sting stopped dead in his tracks and spun around with a shocked look, "Wh-what?"

"You two. Don't start." Natsu snarled.

Lucy didn't feel like going into the guild, so she spun on her heels and stomped past Sting, not even reacting to the look of utter shock and guilt on his face.

**/**

Lucy stopped by the river at her apartment. She sat down on the steps to her home and sighed.

_Why did I get so mad at him? I just blew up like that without thinking…He probably won't even want to talk to me, after what I did…_

Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around. Her landlady was standing in the door to her apartment, "Come inside." Lucy blinked and nodded.

She followed the woman into her apartment and stared around in surprise, "My room! It's so clean! But I haven't been here in seven years…"

"I cleaned it every week. A bunch of your clothes went bad, though. I took an outfit too. Look at the table." the landlady said.

Lucy glanced at the table, and was caught off guard by the mass of wrapped gifts on it. The woman behind her spoke quietly, "They were sent on the same day, every year."

Lucy caught sight of a card with, _"To my beloved daughter, Happy Birthday. From, Dad"_ on it and felt her heart skip a beat.

_He…remembered? _

Her landlady went on, "This morning, another one came…with seven years worth of rent money in it." The door opened and closed, letting Lucy know the woman was gone…and that she could start crying.

**/**

"You'd better apologize, or I'll kick your ass." Natsu growled.

He and Sting were sitting by the lake. After their very tense encounter at the guild's doors, Natsu had practically dragged his brother away so he could get the issue that was now starting to really piss him off out of his hair.

Sting was staring at the ground, "Will it really matter if I do? After what I said…She probably hates me after that."

"Lucy isn't stupid enough to hate someone for a mistake, you dumbass." Natsu retorted, "And even if she doesn't give a damn about you now, you're apologizing anyway. Though I can't imagine her ever seriously hating you."

Sting tch'd, "You can't know that."

Natsu growled again and looked away. It was quiet around them before the Salamander muttered, "She's gonna break at this rate."

The White Dragon tensed, "No, she's not. I won't believe that-"

"Believe it, dipshit." Natsu interrupted.

Sting rolled his eyes, "You're impossible."

Natsu sighed, "Man, why don't you just _tell _her? If you're really that against being with her, then at least _explain _what your problem is. The way things are now, you're just hurting Lucy more and more."

The White Dragon fidgeted uncomfortably, "It's not that simple…"

"It _is _that simple. How many times am I going to have to remind you about what Gildarts said?" Natsu shook his head, "I know what you're scared of, but it's like he said. If you keep on living like this, you really _will _die. We lost seven years in the blink of an eye, so just take Gildarts' advice and start over. We can't exist in the past anymore, we have to look forward."

Sting stared at him, "Since when did you wisen up?"

Natsu grinned, "Just now. Don't expect it to happen all the time, though."

The White Dragon smirked and looked back over the water.

The Salamander stood up and stretched, "I'm gonna tell Lucy you want to talk with her, so just stay here."

Sting answered quietly, "Okay. If she doesn't want to, then don't bother her."

Natsu nodded, "Yep. Oh, one more thing…I know you saw Cana's lie card go red the other day, so I'll give it to you straight: Something happened between you and Lucy on Tenrou Island, right?"

Sting was silent for a while, but for his brother that was all the answer he needed.

Natsu started walking away, calling over his shoulder, "You've probably got an hour or so. Take your time and decide what you want. She's gonna keep you on your toes, that's for sure."

Sting didn't reply, just continued to stare over the water.

_…What DO I want?_

**/**

Lucy cried for what seemed like hours. When she finally composed herself, she realized that Natsu was sitting on the windowsill.

The Salamander watched her carefully, "Is this a bad time, or…? I can come back later, if you want to be alone."

Lucy shook her head and wiped her eyes, "I'm okay, I think…Sorry, you can come in."

Natsu jumped inside and motioned over to the kitchen table. They took a seat and sat in silence for a short time until Natsu scratched his head, "I'm not sure if you want to deal with this right now, but I just talked to Sting…" He glanced at Lucy, who nodded, so he went on, "He feels really bad about what happened earlier. He wanted to talk with you, but I think you should know something before I tell you where he is."

Lucy tilted her head, "What is it?"

Natsu took a deep breath, "How much do you know…about Vicelogia?"

She blinked, "Sting's dragon? Not much…Mira said that Sting considered him his father, and that he was killed right in front of him…"

Natsu nodded slightly, "Close, but not quite."

Lucy was confused, "What do you mean?"

The Salamander twiddled his fingers nervously, "Igneel and Vicelogia took care of Sting and I in places that no other person could find. Actually, if you asked us to find those places now, I don't think we could. They were in tough places to reach, and it's easy to get lost on the way there. And even if someone did find us, no ordinary wizard could kill a dragon."

She let that sink in, "So…If Vicelogia wasn't killed by another wizard, then…?"

"You're smart Lucy. I know you can put two and two together." Natsu said tensely.

Lucy frowned. _What does that remind me of?…That's right! Rogue said he killed Skyadrum, then…Wait…! _

The Salamander took in the expression of realization on her face and looked away, "That didn't take long. You catch on fast."

"No way…" Lucy covered her mouth with her hands.

Natsu's disturbed look confirmed her discovery, "Yeah."

_"Sting killed Vicelogia...with his own two hands…"_

**/**

Lucy found Sting by the lake, just where Natsu had said he was.

She studied him and swallowed a lump past her throat; Thanks to Natsu, she had part of the answer, but the big question was still in hiding. Natsu hadn't said anything else after telling her Sting's secret, just let her know where he was before he left.

What scared Lucy was that Sting might get angry again, and then all hope of reconciliation would vanish. She took a deep breath and walked over to him, fixing her eyes on the ground. He didn't so much as look at her, just kept staring off across the water. Lucy said nothing for a moment, then dared a glance at his face.

Sting didn't look angry, just tired, as if he'd been running from an inescapable fate his entire life. That seemed appropriate, given what had happened.

"I'm sorry. I said something terrible earlier." Sting murmured.

Her eyes widened and she looked back over the water and started with a small voice, "It's wasn't your fault…Natsu told me about your dad."

Sting's shoulder's sagged, "Yeah, I had a feeling he'd do that."

Lucy looked at him again with a sad expression, "Why did you do it?"

He shook his head, "You remember the other day…what we said about dragons and their mates? How they gain a Dragon's Bond?" She nodded so he went on, "Then you probably know by now what happens if their mate dies. That's what happened to Vicelogia. His mate died, and the loss drove him insane."

Lucy's eyes got big, then regained control, "But then…was that what killed him?"

Sting covered his eyes with a hand, "No, I was the one who killed him. Lucy, you don't understand what it's like to live with a giant dragon for years, and believe that he's impossibly wise and all-powerful…"

He gritted his teeth as he continued, "…Then one day he suddenly just shatters and becomes something so pitiful you can't even watch…I loved him like my own father, but I couldn't stand seeing him suffer like that. I waited until he fell asleep, and then…" he trailed off, unwilling to finish.

Lucy thought she might be sick, but she focused on the main issue, "Vicelogia isn't the problem though. Even if he's part of it, what does his death have to do with you avoiding me all the time?"

Sting glanced at her, "Those same instincts apply to Dragon Slayers. Don't tell me you forgot."

Lucy let that sink in, and then started in surprise, "Wait…Are you afraid that might happen to you?"

He shook his head, "Not to me. To…whoever I take as a mate. I'm not afraid of…'Her' being hurt, that won't happen as long as I'm around, it's that, 'She' would break just like Vicelogia if _I _end up dead."

Lucy stared at him with a stunned expression as he went on, "You didn't see Lisanna at her worst when Natsu first disappeared, but I'll tell you now it was _bad. _That wasn't even the real deal, either, since Natsu was still alive. Now try and imagine a permanent broken that you can't fix. My death putting someone I care about in that_ living hell _is what I'm afraid of."

Quite honestly, it was the last thing Lucy expected to hear from him, but something didn't add up so she spoke slowly, "But Natsu took that risk with Lisanna. Rogue took it with Yukino. I think even Gajeel might have a go, so then why are you the only one afraid of dying?"

Sting laughed, but there was no humor in his voice, "Let me put it this way; I've got more dangerous things than enemies holding a sword at my throat. I accepted the possibility that I'd probably die young a while back, so I also decided I probably wouldn't find a mate, at least for her sake."

The strange way he said that gave Lucy chills, but she had an answer now, at least. _Not that it makes this any easier, though, _she thought.

She shook her head, "I'm not afraid of all that." Sting flashed her a surprised look as she went on, "It'd be worse for me if I never had a chance. I've had to many, 'What ifs' in my life to let one as important as you go." Lucy looked down at the ground, trying to hide the red coloring her face.

Sting was quiet for a while, then he sighed, "Lucy, the problem with this, 'What if' is that you can't get out of it if something goes wrong. You know how it works. If…if we really do this, there's no going back."

"Fine."

Sting spun around and stared at her. "After all that's happened, I just want something permanent in my life." she said, her eyes gaining a strong light.

The White Dragon's face darkened, "Don't make a decision like that over such a weak reason."

Lucy gaped at him, "_Weak?! _You've got a brother, you've got family, so you don't get it! I don't have that anymore, Sting! Yeah, my dad was a jerk sometimes, but he was the only family I had!"

Sting tch'd and looked away.

Lucy fixed him with a glare and muttered, "You're just a coward if you can't face that _you _felt something too."

It was a low blow, but it worked. Oh, boy, did it work.

Sting got in her face and hissed, "What did you just say?!"

Lucy didn't flinch, "I said you're a coward for not facing what's happening with such a ridiculous reason. Did you even consider how I would feel about that? I don't want this for some half-hearted reason, I mean it!"

Sting growled angrily, but Lucy was on a roll now, "You could have just said, 'No' to me on Tenrou Island, but you didn't! In fact, you reacted first! I don't know why you act like it never happened. Truth is, you want this too, don't you? You just won't admit it."

He glared at her hard. They were just inches away now.

Lucy's voice went soft, so that the White Dragon could barely hear her, "I'll say it if you won't. I love you, you stupid Dragon Slayer."

Sting's eyes widened, but the anger still showed, now mixed with frustration. He whipped around and started pacing the banks of the lake.

Lucy watched him anxiously, waiting for him to say _something. _

It seemed like forever before he stopped pacing and just stared over the water. Then he growled, "Oh, damn it all!"

Lucy's heart almost broke right there. _That's it, then…_

She couldn't stand looking at him, so she turned and ran towards home.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Sting heard Lucy run off, but he didn't run after her. He just couldn't face her right then- His body was literally trembling with the force of indecision.

And it was scaring the hell out of him.

_Goddamn it, calm down…I can't even think straight like this... _

He tried taking a few deep breaths, but it wasn't helping much. Sting's heart was pounding furiously, as if angry with its owner for not obeying the message it kept sending him. The constant hammering was starting to hurt.

When his attempts to settle down failed, Sting knelt down and stared into the water at his reflection. The image in the water startled him. He didn't think he'd ever looked more tense in his whole life, not even in a life or death situation.

_What the hell is happening to me…_

Sting finally got enough of his calm back to think, but the only clear things he could ponder were memories.

The time Sting had spent with Lucy went through his head like a flash flood. Their meeting, how he'd helped her get through the Phantom War, Edolas, the day of Natsu's return, up until their final moments on Tenrou Island, where he could've sworn that maybe…

Despite how much he cared about Lucy, as a friend, or more than that, Sting was scared that he wouldn't be able to stay with her as long as he would want, if he really did choose to be with her. If he really did die, she would be wounded forever, a hollow shell of the bright, cheerful girl he knew now.

And dare he say it? The girl who had become irreplaceably precious to him.

Sting shook his head helplessly and stared up to the heavens.

_Vicelogia..Dad…what do I do…?_

The heavens didn't answer, but he saw the sunset dip over the horizon and fade away. In that last flash of daylight, perhaps because Sting was thinking of him, it was as though he could see the face of his father.

Sting could imagine what the dragon would have said. But now he was sure he knew for certain.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

When Lucy got to the door it was already dark outside, so she gripped the handle and let what few tears she had left fall from her eyes. After a few minutes, she tried to compose herself and pulled the door open.

A hand suddenly shot out from behind her and slammed it shut before she could walk inside.

Lucy cried out as another hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around so her back was to the door.

She fell silent when she realized it was Sting. Lucy stared at him with a tear-streaked face. _He…followed me…? _

Sting kissed her right then and there.

It took Lucy about five seconds to register that part. Then she gasped as his hands went to her hips and pushed her against the door. Her hands found his chest to keep some distance between them as her eyes fluttered shut and she started kissing him back.

Their lips didn't separate until Lucy ran out of breath and turned her head to the side to suck in air. That left her neck exposed. Not the best idea. Sting leaned in and bit her smooth, pale skin with his long fangs. Lucy cried out from the sharp pain and he backed off, alarmed that maybe he'd hurt her. His fangs had left a little mark, but it wasn't bleeding.

It clicked in Sting's head they were still in the street, even if it was dark. "We should probably take this inside." he whispered.

Lucy nodded, hardly able to think straight, "Mm-hm."

She moved one of her hands from his chest and scrabbled for the handle, but couldn't seem to find it. Sting reluctantly backed off so she could turn around to open the door and walk inside. Lucy went straight towards the kitchen. The rational part of her mind was telling her to get a break and go over what had just happened.

Get a break? Definitely not on Sting's agenda.

He caught her in the living room, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Sting buried his face in her soft hair and breathed in her scent. She had the smell of gentle, sweet vanilla, something he found immensely soothing, something he craved.

He saw the mark on her neck and leaned in, gently licking the sore skin. Lucy shivered from the contact. One of Sting's hands found the line of her skirt and started playing with it, while his other hand started to roam the soft, bare skin of her stomach.

She inhaled sharply at his touch and moved one of her hands over the one at her skirt, clasping it tightly. She lifted her other hand shakily to grasp his hair and started running her fingers through the soft strands. Sting purred, the vibration running though him and meeting Lucy.

He started kissing her neck, occasionally biting playfully, but nothing as intense as the first bite. Sometimes he would shift his grip on her to get at the other side of her neck. He didn't know why, but her skin was so tender, and she tasted so _good. _

Lucy trembled in his arms, mewling whenever he bit down on her, but it just egged him on. She suddenly remembered what Gajeel had said about Dragon Slayers when a Dragon's Bond was initially made. _Air won't be that important to you, you'll be too busy feasting. _

…Yeah, that about summed up what Sting was doing.

Lucy's neck finally gave way after being kissed and nipped in every possible spot. Her head fell back on his shoulder so she could stare up at him. Sting saw the half-lidded brown eyes, the flushed cheeks, and her mouth slightly open.

He leaned down and seized her lips again, pinning her head against his shoulder. Lucy sighed into him, making his purr even stronger. Sting held her tightly and crushed her against him as Lucy's hands fell limp at her sides.

Their tongues danced together until Sting brought the two of them down to their knees, just in case someone fell over from lack of oxygen. Lucy turned so she could face him, resting her hands on his shoulders.

Sting saw that there was still some moisture on her face, so he reached up and wiped the tears away with his thumbs as he cupped her cheeks.

She gazed at him, blushing madly and breathless.

He leaned in and kissed her again, leaving her lips to nip at her ear and jawline whenever she needed air. Sting moved one of his hands to her hair and removed the pigtails keeping it up, letting the long, blonde hair spill out on her shoulders.

Then his hand started trailing down from her hair. Lucy shivered when it brushed her cheek, neck, and down her side. His hand slid past her skirt and then ran up her thigh, making her gasp. Sting's hand slipped under her skirt, brushing her underwear.

Lucy flinched a little, "S-Sting? H-hold on…"

He was lapping at her neck with his tongue now, so it was difficult to concentrate, but Lucy struggled to stay lucid. Her heart was hammering as she felt his fingers hook around her underwear and start pulling.

She whimpered, "Wait, Sting…"

The Dragon Slayer was just about totally lost in her, and he clearly wasn't looking for a way out. Lucy's underwear was halfway down her skirt when she couldn't take it anymore and cried out at him, "Sting, stop it!"

Sting's head whipped up from her neck and stared at her in surprise, as if he'd just realized she'd said something. His hand stopped pulling as he blinked at her face, which was so cherry red that hardly any of her usually pale composure was visible.

Lucy almost cringed when she saw the look of dark lust in his eyes, but she reasoned it was probably their newborn Dragon's Bond that had driven him on. He was just following his instincts. Her hand snuck down to her waist and grasped his wrist, gently prying him away.

They were so close that Lucy's lips brushed his as she caught her breath. "Not now. Calm down, please…" she whispered.

Sting, she realized, was breathing even harder than she was since he'd hardly taken his mouth off of her for a second. But he listened to her and started to relax, closing his eyes and taking slow, deep breaths to ease his raging senses.

When they both managed to recover, Sting opened his eyes and stared at her, "Wow. You're stronger than I am…"

Lucy giggled, "Smarter, maybe. I doubt I could be stronger than you."

He shook his head, "No, there's no way I could've stopped if you didn't say anything. Hell, I could barely think…"

She giggled again, but then pursed her lips, suddenly nervous. She looked up at him, scared, but hopeful, "Does this mean…you and I…?"

Sting kissed her again, softly this time. He rested his forehead on hers and grinned at her, "Yeah."

Lucy blushed bright red and smiled happily, "Okay."

Sting laughed at her expression and started tickling her belly. Lucy collapsed on her side and scrabbled to get away, but she was laughing too hard to breathe.

She gasped out after a little while, "O-okay! Y-you wi~in! S-stop it, ahahaha!"

Sting managed to take his fingers away from her, though he was still laughing hard enough for him to fall over next to her. His eyes flickered and lingered on every little detail of her face. No one else would ever get to see Lucy like this, and Sting relished the knowledge.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see it was almost midnight. Sting turned back to Lucy, who was still recovering from the tickle attack. "It's pretty late. I should probably get going…Lector might wonder where I am." he said.

Sting was on his knees before Lucy hugged him from behind. "Stay." she whispered.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Please?" she asked.

Sting was surprised to see she looked a little nervous. He couldn't tell exactly what for, but he guessed that all the things that had happened that day were a little overwhelming for her. So he nodded at her, "Okay."

Lucy released him and went to go change.

Sting shrugged off his dark t-shirt and left his boots by the door before heading over to her room. He found her in a tank top and pajama pants, already sitting on her bed. He went over and slipped under the blankets, laying down on his back so Lucy could rest her head on his chest.

She wrapped her arms around her neck and whispered, "Sting? What made you change your mind?"

Sting kissed the top of her head, "How should I say it..? I just..needed some time to think about what was important…What really mattered to me in my life…" He rubbed her back gently with his hand, "It wasn't so hard once I figured it out. I just realized if I let you go back there..I'd never get a second chance…"

Lucy smiled, "It scared me, back at the lake…I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to face you again…"

"…I'm sorry about that..I couldn't admit it back then, but…" Sting whispered into her soft hair, "..I..I felt something on the island, too…"

She didn't say anything, but his hand on her back felt Lucy's heartbeat spike. He murmured again, "Sorry I took so long to figure it out. I can be pretty stupid, sometimes."

That made her laugh. The clear, happy sound was music to his ears.

Lucy snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes with a smile still on her face, "Goodnight, Sting…"

Sting stroked her hair gently, his voice unusually soft, "Goodnight, Lucy…"

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Within a few minutes, Lucy's breathing had evened out, with her slow, steady heartbeat emanating through him. He watched her for a while, simply memorizing the way it felt to have Lucy so close to him. But Sting was tired, too. Gradually, he fell asleep to her soft scent and the calming warmth of her body.

_…I chose you, after all..._


	18. Sabertooth

**Okay, important chapter here, even if there isn't as much action as some of you would like. Guys, please remember when you read this, I can't have a massive fight in EVERY chapter, there wouldn't be any buildup for the plot! So even if it's a little monotonous, try to think about the huge fights coming up and bear with me! Oh, by the way, there is an important reference here early in the chapter that I will address in a short story on my other work. Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 18: Sabertooth_

"Ya know they came back?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The core members of Fairy Tail. They're alive."

A teenager with waist-long, spiky blonde hair shrugged, "So what?"

A massive, muscular man with a long mane of spiky green hair smirked, "Don't bullshit with me Zancrow. After all, you were a part of that guild too once."

Zancrow grunted with disinterest, "…That was a long time ago."

**/**

Sting blinked his eyes open, squinting against the light coming through the window. He bared his fangs in a yawn, then looked down at the mess of blonde hair lying on him and couldn't resist smiling.

Seeing Lucy like that was still something he was getting used to, but it had been about two weeks since their connection had been formed, so he was gradually adjusting. They really hadn't done much lately, they helped the guild members do some repairs to Fairy Tail that took a few days. Although they hadn't quite gotten to telling the others that they were together now.

Sting thought it might be fun to see how long it took, though there was no hiding it from Natsu, Happy, and Lector. The Master knew as well, after an event a few days prior that scared the hell out of Lucy when Sting got _very _sick.

The other days, they spent getting basic necessities like clothes while they went to some nearby cities and towns (Sting quickly discovered shopping with girls took a LONG time).

The White Dragon hadn't gotten in a fight since he and the Dark Dragons blew up Twilight Ogre, but he was going to have to soon if he didn't want a relapse of the sickness from a few days prior.

He shook the sleeping girl gently to wake her up. Lucy pouted and snuggled closer to him. Sting smirked, "Oi, wake up sleepyhead."

"Five more minutes." she murmured.

So he waited, running his fingers through her soft hair. Five minutes later, he tried to get her up again, but Lucy still wasn't interested in leaving her very warm, very ripped pillow just yet.

He tried asking nicely, "Come on, Lucy."

Lucy mumbled into his chest, "I don't wanna."

Sting sighed in mock resignation, "You leave me no choice, then."

While Lucy dozed on him, he slowly lowered his hands to her waist. He got a firm grip and before she could say anything, quickly flipped over to the side so _he _was on top of _her. _

Lucy squealed and flashed her eyes open, "I-I'm awake!"

Sting grinned mischievously, "Ohh? But you took so long, my muscles got stiff. I need to loosen them up a bit before I can move again." He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head, then bit down on a sensitive spot right where her neck met her jawline.

Lucy cried out, "Ow!"

"Sorry, did that hurt? I'll make it better then." Sting promised, then started slowly licking the sore skin.

Lucy's face flushed hotly and she whined, "Sti~ing, stop being mean…"

He pulled back and shook his head with a smirk, "This is for taking so long to wake up." Sting kissed her right above her collarbone, working his way up her neck.

He pressed his body against hers, getting another whine, "Quit it, I can't brea-mmm…"

Sting shut her up by kissing her full on the lips. After a few seconds, Lucy was allowed to bring her arms up and wrap them around his neck, enticing him to continue.

He had paused for breath when he caught a whiff of something in the air. Sting looked towards the kitchen, smelling an aroma coming out.

Lucy put a hand on his chest, "What's wrong?"

"…I smell food." he answered.

Lucy sighed, "Priorities, huh? Well, I'm kinda hungry too, so let's get something to eat." Sting let her get up and walk to the kitchen, following her a second later.

"Oh, morning you two."

Lucy shrieked as Natsu appeared in the kitchen with a smirk, "Come on, Lucy. I'm not _that _scary."

"That's debatable. Whaddya want?" Sting growled.

"What? I can't make breakfast for my brother and half-sister?" Natsu asked innocently.

Lucy blushed, but then became suspicious, "What did you do? Did you break something?"

The Salamander raised an eyebrow, "Why would you assume I broke something?"

Lucy became more wary, "Because you aren't the kind of guy who would come here just to make us breakfast, and you're _his _brother." She pointed over her shoulder at Sting, "Destruction follows wherever you two go."

Natsu laughed, but shook his head, "I didn't break anything. I came here to eat and give you two a message." Sting looked him over suspiciously, but the Salamander rolled his eyes, "Oh, gimme a break, this'll only take a second. Master wants all of us in the guild at noon."

Lucy frowned, "What for?"

He flashed her that cheesy grin, "Beats me. Don't worry it shouldn't take long. You'll be making out again before you know it."

Lucy went bright red, while Sting hissed at his twin brother, but Natsu had already made it to the windowsill, "I already ate, but pancakes are still on the stove! I gotta run, so I'll see you later! Oh yeah, I don't think I've said this yet, but it's nice to have you in the family, Lucy!" He hopped down to ground level.

The moment he was clear, Sting shut the window and locked it with a growl, "I'll kick his ass later, but let's have breakfast first."

Lucy's giggle caught him by surprise. "What's up?" he asked

She shook her head, "Nothing, it's just…I guess Natsu was right. I've got a family again…" Lucy smiled contentedly to herself.

Sting walked back to her and lifted her up to sit her on the counter, making her squeak in surprise. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers, "You've always had a family. The only difference is, you're stuck with us."

Lucy laughed and put her arms around his neck, "So, you wanna have breakfast?"

"Hmm…Not sure, I haven't had much time to work up an appetite." he mused.

Lucy raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously, but a blush still appeared on her face, "I think I might have to do something about that."

She leaned in and kissed him again, getting a purr out of him when her fingers played with his hair. His hands rubbed her back soothingly, but then she separated with a gasp, "Oh, no, the pancakes!" Lucy leaped down and ran back to the stove.

Sting chuckled as she frantically repaired their breakfast of burn damage. He remembered what Natsu had told him a few weeks earlier. _She's gonna keep you on your toes, that's for sure. _

The White Dragon snorted. _I can handle her._

**/\/\/\/\/\**

After getting some breakfast and getting dressed, the two of them started towards the guild.

Since the Tenrou incident, Sting's blue vest had been torn beyond repair, so they had spent a _whole_ _day _(Much to his disdain) getting him some new clothes during the last two weeks. Sting now wore a black, long sleeve jacket with a folded high collar and white trimmings and cuffs. He kept his light gray and black pants, but instead of suspenders, he held them up with two belts and kept his black and gold boots. Sting also decided to add a white, triangular, armored chest piece with the point stopping at the middle of his stomach. He still kept his platinum, double-edged earring on his left earlobe though.

As they reached the guild, Sting saw Erza about to walk inside. He called to her, and she turned around with a smile, "Good, you two are here. We've got a little time before the Master's announcement, but Romeo wanted to tell us something too."

Lucy blinked in question, "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but he seemed pretty agitated about it." Erza explained.

Sting shrugged, "Well, let's go see what's up."

**/**

In the guild, Gajeel was griping, "Come on, kid. If you've got something to say, then say it! I don't wanna be here all day."

Romeo shook his head, "Sting, Erza, and Lucy aren't here yet…"

"I'm here now." Sting announced.

Wendy smiled as he walked in with Erza and Lucy, "Good morning!"

Sting grunted and took a seat next to her and Natsu. Erza and Lucy walked over to Yukino, Mira, and Lisanna and also sat down. Most of the guild was present, minus Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, who were off on a mission somewhere. Gildarts had left to travel a few days before. Makarov was also out, so Ur was in charge of the guild for now.

Gajeel growled, "You sleep too long. Oi, Romeo, tell us why we're here now."

Romeo nodded, "Yeah, I said I'd tell you about that taboo thing? The one about Totomaru?"

Rogue glanced at him with interest, "I almost forgot about that. So, what was it?"

Droy grumbled, "Stupid traitor, that's what."

"He was _not_ a traitor, Droy! I told him to go, remember?" Romeo snapped.

Natsu tilted his head, "Traitor? Who, this Totomaru guy?"

Romeo shook his head, "No, not him. I'm talking about one of the Fairy Tail members that joined us just after you guys disappeared."

Gajeel grunted, "Well, don't leave us hanging, who was it?"

Macao cleared his throat, "The guy's name was Zancrow. Zancrow Ignotius. He was a really powerful fire mage, even if he was just a kid when he joined us."

"Zancrow…Oh, that kid!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lisanna shot him a surprised look, "You know him?"

The Salamander nodded, a grin breaking out over his face, "Yeah. I met him the week before we started training for the S-Class exams. He was a fun kid, and his magic was pretty nice too. So he did end up coming to Fairy Tail, then."

Kinana flashed a sad smile, "He did, but he left about two years ago to join another guild."

Natsu's grin faded, "Really? That's too bad, I liked that kid."

Wakaba laughed, "He ain't a kid no more, Natsu. He's the cornerstone of Fiore's strongest guild now."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "Whoa, really?!"

Macao nodded sagely, "He's one hell of a guy. Actually, between him and Natsu, I'm not sure who's the stronger fire mage. Zancrow was tough when he was with us, but he's on a whole other level now."

Wendy gasped, "A fire mage stronger than Natsu?!"

Natsu shrugged, "It's not unbelievable. That kid…He used God Slayer Magic."

Sting's eyes got wide, "God Slayer Magic?!"

"Magic created for killing gods?" Rogue asked.

Natsu nodded, "Yeah. Zancrow's fire magic was different from any other I've seen. He challenged me to a sparring match, and he actually put up a decent fight for a ten-year old. Those flames he used were black, and as weird as it sounds, I couldn't eat them."

"What? Even you couldn't devour them?" Erza was stunned.

The Salamander shook his head, "No, I couldn't. He said his magic was made to destroy gods, so I didn't take him seriously at first, but after fighting against it…I believed him. That kid had so much potential, I actually thought about training him myself. That's why I told him to go to Fairy Tail."

Gray snorted, "Two hotheads in the guild? No thank you."

"Hey! Zancrow was really cool!" Romeo protested.

Elfman grunted, "That's beside the point, but why'd he leave?"

Romeo looked at his hands, "I told him to."

Gajeel looked at him like he was crazy, "Huh?! If this punk was crazy strong, why'd you tell him to get lost?!"

Max sighed and scratched his head, "The top guild back then and even now is Sabertooth. They had an older God Slayer in their guild that Zancrow looked up to."

Lucy frowned, "Sabertooth?"

"A tiger with sabers for teeth…Sabertooth." Gray explained.

Max nodded, "They weren't anything special seven years ago, but their Master went and recruited five very powerful mages, including Zancrow. Anyways, their God Slayer is Orga Nanagear, who uses Lightning God Slayer Magic. He's about Laxus' age now, and he's just as powerful."

Romeo looked sad, "Zancrow was the person who kept us going back then. Twilight Ogre never messed with us, or he'd burn them to a crisp. But Orga came here once on a mission and Zancrow challenged him to a battle. It wasn't even a fight, though. Orga crushed him. When I saw how powerful Orga was, I knew Zancrow wanted to get strong enough to beat him, so I told him to go join Sabertooth and get stronger."

Gray tch'd, "And that was it? He just ditched without a second thought, huh?"

"No, he didn't!" Romeo shouted. Gray stared at him in surprise as he kept yelling, "Zancrow wanted to stay! I made him leave! The way things were here back then, there was no way he was going to get strong enough to beat Orga!"

Macao put a hand on his son's shoulder, "Romeo, calm down."

The teenage boy, bowed his head, "I'm sorry, I just…"

Ur smiled at him, "It sounds like you really admired him."

Romeo nodded, "Yeah. To be honest, he kind of reminded me of Natsu and Sting."

Natsu laughed, "With that head of blonde hair, that's actually a pretty good comparison."

"Sting and Natsu in one body? That sounds like a nightmare…" Gray muttered.

The Salamander was about to growl at him, but just then Makarov walked in, "How coincidental that Sabertooth is the subject here…Well, that means I can skip to the chase."

Mira smiled, but a small frown still appeared on her face, "Welcome back, Master. Were you going tell us about Sabertooth as well?"

Makarov grunted and cleared his throat, "I've made a decision that we must all go through, but I'll need an example first…Sting!"

The White Dragon glanced at him, "What's up?"

"I want you to have a match with Max." Makarov announced.

Sting blinked, "Huh? A fight?"

The old man nodded, "I want to prove a point, and then I want to explain our situation."

Sting looked over at Max, who grinned, "I'm a lot different from seven years ago. It won't be easy!"

The White Dragon bared his fangs in a fierce smile, "You're on!"

**/**

The whole guild walked out back and watched as Sting and Max faced each other a little ways off from the main group.

Sting cracked his knuckles and shouted, "You ready?"

Max held a hand out, "Come on!"

Sting lunged at him a swung a fist at his face, but Max blocked with a powerful stream of sand and kicked him away. The White Dragon skidded back and stared at him with a stunned expression, "Hold on, seriously?!"

Max laughed, "It's not like I sat on my ass for seven years, you know. I trained in my own way."

Gajeel just about dropped the fork hanging from his mouth, "O-oi…"

"Sting's getting owned by _Max?!" _Lector shrieked.

Sting snarled, "Like hell! Lemme try this again!"

He activated his White Drive and rushed Max even faster than before, but Max ducked and shouted, "Sand Rebellion!" He created an explosion of sand that sent the White Dragon skyward.

Sting took in a deep breath and yelled, "Get lost!" He let loose a Holy Breath attack and managed to cancel out the Sand Rebellion, but he was still pushed back.

Makarov smirked, "See what I mean? This isn't seven years ago. You're all behind."

Sting charged Max once more with another yell, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!"

"Sand Wall!" Max threw a twisting wall of sand up in front of him and took Sting's punch effortlessly. The White Dragon bared his fangs as he pushed as hard as he could to penetrate the defense, but he wasn't getting anywhere.

Elfman gaped, "Is that for real?!"

Jet grinned at him, "We ain't the same anymore. We could probably beat everyone here that weren't monsters like Laxus, Ur, and Gildarts to begin with."

Max was grinning from ear to ear as Sting got nowhere with his punch, but then the White Dragon's body exploded into flames with a roar, _"Whitefire Dragon Mode!"_

Max flinched back from the sudden burst of power, "H-hey, what is that?"

Makarov stared at him uneasily, "Hm?"

Sting took a deep breath and bellowed, _"Whitefire Dragon's Purging Breath!"_ A massive column of white flames flew from his jaws and completely destroyed the area behind Max as it just brushed his side.

The watching guild stared in shock.

Sting eyed the trail of holy fire with disdain, "Crap. It wasn't as strong as it was the first time."

"Since when have you been capable of using that on your own?" Rogue demanded.

Sting grinned, "Just now. Sorry old man, your point was just disapproved." Makarov was dumbfounded, but then Sting fell over from exhaustion.

Natsu scratched his head, "Yeah, that's what I thought. That attack eats up magic power like no tomorrow…"

Happy and Frosch walked up to the immobilized White Dragon. Happy muttered, "Probably shouldn't use that in a real fight…"

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch chirped while she poked Sting's head with a stick.

Makarov cleared his throat, "Well, while that didn't quite go as planned…"

"You just wanted Sting to get his ass handed to him, admit it old man!" Gajeel sniggered.

Makarov grunted, "Shut it, brat! My point is, you all aren't capable of handling the battles in this time, so I'm going to put you through training for a certain event."

Lucy tilted her head, "Event?"

Romeo nodded, "It's a festival that started up to decide the number one guild in Fiore. All the guilds in Fiore gather and compete with each other with their magic! It's called the Grand Magic Games!"

Natsu got an interested spark in his eyes, "That sounds fun…The Grand Magic Games, huh?"

"It really does sound just like a festival!" Lisanna exclaimed.

Erza's eyes widened in realization and she smiled, "I see…That's why you brought up Sabertooth. They must win this event every year, so if we entered and defeated them…"

"Fairy Tail would be back on top!" Gray finished.

Wendy clapped her hands together, "That'd be wonderful!"

Makarov nodded, "Indeed. The games are going to be held in three months, so during that time, I want you all to train your hardest for the competition."

Everyone roared in agreement, but Macao protested, "Oi, Master! We've come in last there every year! It's absolute hell, what with Lamia, Pegasus, not to mention Sabertooth in there!"

Makarov shook his head, "There are 30 million jewels and the number one guild in Fiore on the line! We're going!"

Natsu cracked his knuckles, "Three months is plenty of time! I'm all fired up!"

**/**

Orga cracked his neck from the rock he sat on and held a hand up slightly in the air, "Talkin' bout seven years ago, you were probably just a runt back then…Oh yeah, you wanted to be that Salamander guy's apprentice, didn't cha?"

Zancrow grunted, "Shut up, Orga. I don't like people who are all clingy to the past."

"I found you!"

The two of them glanced at a man who ran up with a rocket launcher and fired as he yelled, "Burn, you bastards!"

The rocket shot towards them, but Zancrow grabbed it from midair and crushed it, making the blast roar out and causing the startled man grin, "You've got nice reflexes, but no luck. I've avenged my-?!"

The flames were suddenly drawn to a single point as Zancrow devoured the fire with ease.

The attacker paled, "H-hold on, you two…could it be that you're…?!"

Zancrow swallowed and let out a satisfied yawn. A torrent of black fire then burst from his mouth and completely annihilated the area around their attacker, who lost half of his helmet to the breath attack.

The man just about wet himself from fear, "I-it was you two after all! The Flame God, Zancrow! And the Lightning God Orga! Sabertooth's God Slayer duo!"

He screamed and started to run for it, but Orga held his hands up as he muttered, "You're just gonna abandon your comrades? What scum."

Black lightning crackled between his outstretched arms and fired a bullet of thunder. "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!" Orga bellowed.

The thunder bullet caught the man in the back and enveloped him in a giant shockwave. When it dissipated, the man wasn't even twitching from the massive electric attack.

Zancrow snorted, "Did you have to kill him? He had no way to defend himself."

Orga shrugged, "It's what he gets for trying to light my hair on fire. Anyway, why do you care? He's from a dark guild, after all."

The Fire God started walking away, as the Lightning God followed him. Zancrow muttered under his breath, "True enough, but it still bothers me…"

They left a mass of dead or dying people behind them.


	19. Training

**Last chapter before the story is taken to Crocus! From there, most of the chapters will revolve around battles, so enjoy these little bits of comedy and fluff I put in between!**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 19: Training_

_Three months. That's how long we have to catch up with the mages of this time in order to compete and win the Grand Magic Games. After the loss of seven years, we all had a huge gap to fill up in terms of power, so Master Makarov sent us all out to train for the three months we have before the games start. _

_So with that in mind, one of our groups decided to train at the beach!_

**/**

Lucy and the rest of the girls in their training group, Erza, Wendy, Yukino, Levy, and Juvia, led the way to the beach excitedly.

Charle muttered as they ran straight for the water, "This isn't a vacation, you know…"

Droy, who had also come with them, smirked at her, Happy, Lector, and Frosch, who were dressed in swim gear, "Even if you say that, look how you're dressed."

"It's fine, we know training is important. But let's have a day to relax!" Erza said.

The girls cheered and splashed into the sea, leaving the boys on the beach.

Gray stripped down and went for a swimming race against Jet.

Sting was in his swim trunks, but he didn't really feel like messing around.

Rogue was there too, though he just wore black shorts.

Sting tch'd, "I bet Natsu and Gajeel are probably training right now…"

The Shadow Dragon crossed his arms and glanced around, "I'd like to start training…"

"Oh, no you don't!" Yukino ran over and grabbed his arm with a laughing smile, "Let's have some fun!"

Rogue was dragged away to the water, and quickly followed by Sting as Lucy also snatched him from the sand. They were taken hostage to where the girls were playing with a beach ball.

Wendy was sitting on the sand nearby trying to read a spell that Porlysuca had given her earlier, but the language was unfamiliar to her.

While Levy went over and set her up with magic reading glasses, Lucy looked around at their group, "You know, out of the whole Tenrou Team that came here for training, is this it?"

Yukino nodded, "Yes. It would seem Mira's team went to the mountains. Laxus' team also went somewhere else…Umm…"

"Who're we forgetting?" Lucy asked.

Happy was floating in an inner tube next to the other exceed and sighed, "Natsu, Gajeel, Lily, and Ur."

"Where did they go anyways?" Lector muttered.

Sting shrugged, "Natsu said they were going with Mira's team to the mountains. Supposedly, there's a volcano near there, so he wanted to train…I guess with lava. I don't know why Gajeel or Ur went there, but whatever."

Levy came back and answered quickly, "They said it was for secret training…I tried to go with them, but they turned me down."

"Oh, you wanted to go with them…? Levy~" Lucy giggled.

Levy blushed and splashed water at her, "I-it's not like you're thinking! Lucy, don't tease me!"

Sting glanced over at Rogue, "This is fun and all, but we should start training in the afternoon…"

"Agreed." the Shadow Dragon remarked.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

After several hours of messing around in the water, Lucy and Yukino went to a hill at the seaside away from all the people and started training. She summoned Capricorn to help them, then they began training to increase their magic capacity.

"It's always been one of my weaknesses…Running out of magic power during critical moments." Lucy explained.

Yukino also voiced her problems, "I'll need more power too. I'm able to summon Ophiuchus, but if I do, I can't summon any more spirits. I need to be able to use all of them during a battle."

Capricorn nodded, "You need to enhance your spiritual control to raise your power. Start a zen meditation, if you'd please."

The girls sat back to back and closed their eyes. Capricorn stood by a few feet away, murmuring as they began, "Feel the earth, wind, and air with your skin. Then synchronize your breath to match the nature around you."

Lucy and Yukino took a few deep breaths and gradually evened their breathing. A few moments later, the sand around them began flying in a spiral of magic power.

Capricorn nodded approvingly, "You are both doing well. Keep going."

That was a lot easier said than done for them.

As the girls released more power, they had trouble keeping their breathing even and struggled to remain concentrated. The goat spirit noted this and encouraged them, "Release just a little more magic power, if you'd please."

Lucy and Yukino forced out their last bit of magic power and collapsed against each other, panting for breath.

"That's tough…" Lucy gasped.

Yukino braced her hands on her knees, "We really are out of shape…"

"Lady Layla also trained in this way to increase her Celestial Magic." Capricorn said.

Lucy caught her breath and settled back into her zen state, "So will we. We have to get stronger." Yukino nodded and they began again.

**/**

Gray was creating a tower of ice in the scorching sun, training to increase his heat resistance.

Juvia was standing on the water and making the ocean around her boil and rage, doing her best to maximize the control she had over her element.

Levy helped Wendy read her magic spell again for clarification, while Erza was wielding her swords at the edge of the water.

Sting and Rogue swam over to a pair of rocks jutting from the ocean about a quarter mile out and crawled onto them, facing the other from several meters away.

Rogue squinted against the sunlight, "Good. If it's bright like this, it'll be more difficult for my shadows to work."

"It'll be easier for me, then. Though if we train into the night, things'll get switched around." Sting said.

The Shadow Dragon turned his gaze over the vast horizon of water, "Where do you suppose Acnologia is now?"

Sting shook his head, "Who knows…Flying around the world, I would assume."

"…Why weren't we able to kill it?" Rogue asked.

The White Dragon shook his head again, "I don't know. Dragons are supposed to take serious damage if they get hit by our attacks, but…that one was different."

Rogue looked back to him and settled into a fighting stance, "It'll be back, one day. When that happens, we have to be strong enough to destroy it."

Sting nodded, pointing to the scar on his chest, "Then you'd better throw everything you got at me like last time. I'm not holding back, Rogue."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." he growled.

They faced each other in silence, then lunged at each other from the rocks.

"Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue lashed out with a fist of shadows.

Sting answered with a punch buried in light, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!"

The attacks collided and pushed against each other for a few moments, then sent the Dragon Slayers flying in opposite directions. They skidded on the water to a stop, using the power in their legs to leap up into the air.

Rogue noted their positions as he jumped. _As expected, the sunlight is increasing his magic, while mine is being degraded…I have to get strong enough to make that factor irrelevant. _

"White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Sting sent forth a barrage of light rays after the Shadow Dragon.

Rogue took a deep breath and shouted, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" A burst of darkness flew from his mouth and crashed into the approaching light rays.

Sting grinned, "Not bad, Rogue!"

"If you've got breath to talk, you'd better use it for attacking!" Rogue hissed, baring his fangs.

The White Dragon's grin got even bigger, "Good point!"

They slammed into each other in midair, starting a frenzied bout of close combat.

**/**

Lisanna ran through the mountain cave tunnels in her Tigress Take-Over, sniffing the air every so often for the others.

They had entered at different points around the mountain and were playing a tracking game. The cave was silent, and had little light except for the low glow of white rock and fireflies. She could hear bats squeaking around her, but it didn't affect her enhanced hearing too much.

Suddenly though, the bats fell silent. Lisanna froze in place. Animals naturally grew quiet when something unfamiliar approached them, so either she had disturbed them somehow, or someone else was in the tunnels with her. She sniffed the air carefully, then cast her eyes around the tunnel slowly.

A faint glow coming from another tunnel caught her eye, so she approached cautiously. Lisanna peered around the corner to the other tunnel, frowning when she saw a small flame on a piece of moss.

A wry smile found it's way onto her face, "Marking places you've already been to, Natsu?"

"You fell for it, Lisanna."

Lisanna shrieked as a voice hissed into her ear. She spun around, but Natsu pushed her and pinned her hands to the side of the cave wall.

He winced at the echo in the narrow tunnel, "That was really loud. Kinda hurt."

"You scared the hell out of me!" she gasped.

Natsu laughed, "You should see your face."

Lisanna puffed up her cheek in anger, "That wasn't funny."

He smirked, "That kinda depends on your point of view. I win this round."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

Lisanna suddenly turned into a mouse and escaped his grip, then went back into her tigress form and leaped at him, bowling him over and pinning him to the ground with a surprised yell.

She straddled him and bared her fangs in a devious smile, "I think _I _win."

Natsu grinned and shook his head ruefully, "I can't believe I didn't see that coming. Nice one, Anna."

Lisanna's cat ears twitched and she blinked, "What did you just call me?"

He tilted his head, "Anna? I thought it sounded like a good nickname."

She smiled down at him, "I never really thought about it, but..I like it."

Natsu grinned again, then glanced at her paws that were holding him down, "So, you gonna let me up?"

Lisanna licked her lips, "I don't know, animals usually eat what they catch."

His eyebrows rose in unison, "We're in a cave."

"Hm. So we are. Your point?" she laughed, leaning down to nip his throat.

He hissed, "Stop that."

Lisanna smirked, her whiskers twitching in amusement while she gave him a teasing look, "Why?"

She bit his neck again, and this time he growled, "You asked for it." Natsu suddenly heaved up and flipped over, making her screech in surprise when he ended up on top of her instead of the other way around.

Lisanna stared as he grinned darkly, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Ever heard of payback?" He leaned down and latched onto her neck, sinking his fangs into her skin. She wriggled against him, but he held her tight.

Her tail thrashed and she whined, "Okay, okay!"

Natsu let her go and looked down on her with a smirk, "That's one. Here's number two."

"Oh, revenge is sweet, isn't it?"

Lisanna shrieked and Natsu's head whipped up as Mirajane walked over with a devious smile, "Enjoying yourselves? You should try to be more quiet. I had to send Elfman over in a different direction."

He shuddered at the idea of Elfman walking onto their current situation, "No thanks for the interruption, but thanks for the save."

"Mira, what are you doing here?" Lisanna asked, tilting her head back to stare at her sister upside down.

Mirajane tilted her head, "We _are _supposed to find each other, right? Though I am sorry I interrupted something so…intimate."

Lisanna blushed furiously and Natsu let her up, scratching the back of his head, "She started it."

"Hey! You caught me first!" she protested.

Mira laughed, "You two are _so_ cute."

Natsu spun around to her and was probably about to yell something along the lines of, "I AM NOT CUTE!" when a bellow sounded and Elfman burst in on the scene in his Weretiger form, "Natsu! What were you just doing to Lisanna?!"

The Salamander swore, "Shit, see you later, Anna!" He bolted for a tunnel with Elfman roaring on his heels.

Mira smiled with mischief again, "Anna…I've never heard that one before. I really interrupted something important."

"Mira, stop!" she wailed.

"Dammit, quit being so noisy!"

The sisters turned when Gajeel and Lily came in with Cana behind them. Black Steel rubbed his ears with a growl, "You scream really loud. The Salamander better find his own cave when things get frisky, or people for miles'll hear ya."

Lisanna's face went strawberry red, making Cana laugh, "Look at you, you're so embarrassed! Ahahahaha!"

"Sh-shut up!" Lisanna stammered.

Ur watched them quietly from another tunnel. _This playing around is fine for the first day, but I'm taking Natsu and Gajeel away tomorrow to the volcano. My apologies to the competition in the other guilds…You won't know what hit you when I'M through training them._

**/**

Laxus watched Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen battle it out in the ruins below him. He turned his gaze skyward after a few minutes. _Three months before those games, huh…It's plenty of time, but…_

_…What's my old man been up to these past seven years?_

**/**

After the first day of training, the girls relaxed in the hot springs at their hotel.

Yukino stretched, "Mmm…this is so nice…"

"Soaking in the hot water after working out all day is marvelous…" Erza sighed.

Frosch and Charle floated belly up in the water while the other girls settled down happily into the bath.

In the distance, faint explosions could be heard. Lucy glanced out over their view of the ocean, "Are Sting and Rogue _still _fighting?"

Wendy nodded, "They've been fighting all day…I hope they come in soon."

"Well, I'm sure Yukino and Lucy wanna see them soon, right?" Levy giggled.

Lucy froze, "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Yukino smiled mischievously, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar? Admit it, you fixed whatever problem you two had and took the next step."

"Th-that is…" Lucy stammered.

Wendy just about jumped out of the water, "It's true, it's true!"

"Yes! Juvia has less competition for Gray!" Juvia cried happily.

Erza stared at her in amazement, "Really? You and Sting…Ah, now I know where you two were for the past couple weeks…"

Lucy scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously, "Oh well, you got me. There goes the game Sting was playing."

Levy blinked, "Game?"

"Yeah, he wanted to see how long it would take for people to figure it out. Ehehehe…" she laughed.

Yukino smirked, "I think we'll keep this between us to enjoy watching other people figure it out."

Wendy clapped her hands together, "That sounds fun!"

Juvia watched Lucy closely, "If Sting made up a game, did you make a game as well?"

Lucy blinked, "Huh?"

"It's not a crazy question. After all, you've technically taken up residence in his bed..or is it the other way around?" Erza mused.

At that, Juvia put a hand over her mouth mischievously while Yukino giggled. Lucy blushed furiously, "W-we haven't done that! Just what's going through those heads of yours?!"

**/**

Sting and Rogue had moved their battle to the beach, and were panting from exhaustion.

The White Dragon caught his breath and gasped, "One more time!"

Rogue just nodded and sent forth a shockwave of darkness, "Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!"

Sting took a deep breath and bellowed, "White Dragon's Holy Breath!" The light and dark collided and generated an explosion that formed a crater in the beach.

Sting and Rogue finally hit their breaking point and collapsed, totally spent of magic and strength. The Shadow Dragon muttered breathlessly, "No more. Or we'll just hurt ourselves…"

"I ain't arguing…" Sting breathed.

"Sting!"

"Rogue!"

The exhausted Dragon Slayers turned their heads on the ground to see the rest of their group running up.

Lucy looked a little miffed, "Honestly, you two'll kill each other before the first week is up!"

Yukino helped Rogue sit up, eyes wide in concern, "You really should be more careful…"

"Tch! How am I supposed to kick your ass if you can't even stand?! Idiots!" Gray muttered.

Sting and Rogue growled in unison, "Oh, shut up."

Erza sighed, "Well, I don't think you should have another fight like that for a while at least. Let's get back to the hotel and rest up for tomorrow. You're both still training, whether you like it or not."

Sting grunted in response, "Fine, but I'm sleeping in an extra fifteen minutes. No arguments."

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The next morning, the group (Minus Sting and Rogue) met up again at the beach for the second day of training. After some stretching, Yukino smiled, "Not bad after just one day."

"Our magic power's already gone up a good bit, huh?" Gray remarked.

Lucy nodded, "At first I thought, 'We've only got three months?' But now, it's more like, 'We still have three months!' As long as we train seriously, we'll catch up in no time!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Suddenly, Virgo popped up from underneath her, "Princess! There's an emergency!"

Lucy squealed, "What are you doing down there?!"

Charle frowned, "The Maid Spirit?"

"What emergency?" Lector asked.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly Leo was there too, "The Celestial Realm is in crisis. Could you help us?"

Yukino gasped, "Wh-what?!"

"What happened?" Levy asked.

Virgo bowed, "The Celestial Spirit King is waiting for you. We came to pick you up."

Gray cracked his knuckles, "Of course we'll help out."

Wendy looked back to the lodge, "Shouldn't we get Sting and Rogue? They could really help out if there's a fight and-"

"NO!" Wendy jumped as Leo yelled, then settled down and tried to act cool again, "I mean, male Dragon Slayers aren't allowed in the Celestial Realm…They could destroy a lot of important stuff…"

"Time to travel!" Virgo announced, surrounding the group with a pillar of light.

There was a bright flash, then they disappeared, leaving Jet and Droy on the beach. Droy looked peeved, "Why are we the only ones left behind?"

"Oi!"

They turned to see Sting and Rogue walking towards them. The White Dragon called out, "The hell was that? Where'd they go?"

Jet shook his head, "Some Spirit business or something…"

Rogue blinked in concern, "They left without us? I hope they'll be okay…"

**/**

The world they arrived in was spectacular. All sorts of odd things floated in the air, huge blocks of ice, castles, planets, and countless stars.

A giant man with a huge mustache appeared with his arms crossed, "Thanks for coming, old friends."

Lucy gasped, "You're the Spirit King!"

"Mr. Long Mustache is?!" Happy screeched.

Frosch pointed at the mustache and laughed, "Mustache, mustache!"

Erza frowned at him, "We were told there was a crisis?"

The King said nothing, then grinned cheekily, "Lucy and Yukino! You and your friends! We welcome you back from your frozen time!"

A mass of spirits appeared out of nowhere and yelled, "LET'S PARTY!"

The group froze. Lucy stared at Virgo, "The crisis…"

"I lied." The Maid Spirit said cheerfully.

Lucy gaped, "YOU'RE KIDDING!"

Taurus laughed, "Ahahahaha! Sorry to trick you-oo~"

"It was a surprise!" Cancer declared.

Capricorn nodded, "This was out plan all along."

The Pisces son laughed, "We wanted to come to you, but we all couldn't go at the same time!"

"We decided to bring you to us, sorry." Aries said with a smile.

Scorpio flashed his classic hand sign, "This is a one-time deal only!"

"Yes, it is." Aquarius agreed.

Lucy glanced at Leo, "And you didn't let us bring Sting or Rogue…why?"

The Lion Spirit's grin became strained, "Forgive me, I just couldn't stand breathing the same air as those two beasts who dare to claim my beautiful girls with such a neanderthal way."

Yukino frowned at him, "I am in no way, shape, or form, "Yours", Mr. Lion."

Lucy sighed, "I should have known…"

"Punishment Princess?" Virgo asked.

The King shook his head, "No! Today, we celebrate! Drink yourselves stupid and dance with old friends!" The spirits and visitors roared approval.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

That's exactly what they did. The gang partied for hours, never taking a break as they ate, drank, sang and danced throughout the day and into the night (Which also involved an entire army of Plues!), but eventually they had to call an end to the fun. The Spirit King bade them farewell with the other spirits and left them with Virgo and Leo.

Gray cracked his knuckles, "Alright, had a good time, now back to training!"

Leo froze, "Training?"

"Yeah. We have to train for three months to enter the Grand Magic Games. Are you okay Leo?" Levy asked with a frown.

Leo was pale, "Uhh…"

Virgo piped up, "Oh, yes. Princess, there's one thing I forgot to tell you. Time goes at a different rate in the Celestial Realm."

Erza's eyes glittered, "I see…Do you mean that a year here would only be a day in our world?"

"This place is a dream zone for training!" Wendy squealed.

Leo scratched his head, "Sorry..It's the total opposite…"

Lucy blinked, "Huh?"

Virgo engulfed them in the pillar of light with a few parting words, "One day here is equivalent to three months in the human realm."

**/**

The group appeared on the beach, frozen in disbelief.

Jet and Droy (With a watermelon) ran up to them, "Hey! We waited for so long!"

"The Grand Magic Games start in five days! You must have trained so..hard?" Droy stopped chewing his watermelon.

Erza, Gray, and Juvia muttered in unison, "It's all over…" then landed face-first in the ground.

Wendy and Levy cried hysterically.

Happy and Frosch joined them while Charle and Lector bristled, "The hell..?"

Yukino was still frozen with shock, but Lucy screamed at the sky, "Mustache bastard! Give me my time back!"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The beaches were empty for the rest of the day. The group sat in limbo, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Erza looked on the brink of losing her sanity, "How…"

"Our training time.." Wendy sniffed.

Gray stared into space, "Gone in one day…"

Lucy muttered to the ground, "Stupid damn mustache…"

"Princess, I have a suggestion." Virgo appeared tied to a tree with bricks on her legs, "Please give me an even harsher punishment!"

Yukino rolled her eyes, "Oh, just go home…"

Droy was munching his watermelon furiously, "The Grand Magic Games start in five days and your power isn't up at all!"

"Well, at least Sting and Rogue got somewhere…" Jet muttered.

Lucy's head whipped up, "Oh, my god, I didn't even think about them…"

Yukino cringed, "Oh, they're gonna be so mad…You know what happens when they get mad, right?"

Lucy got an image in her head of a shirtless Sting and a sadistic smile as he laughed evilly, _Punishment, Lucy…_

"…Oh, god! I'm too young! Stay out of my skirt!" she wailed as her face turned a blazing red.

Droy spat out about half of his watermelon when he spluttered, "What the hell are you even thinking about?!"

Levy sighed, "I guess the others'll have to fight in our place…"

"Dammit, how far could they get ahead of us with three months to train?!" Gray grunted in frustration, punching the ground.

Happy sniffed, "The gap in power to Lily has grown…"

Charle stared at him, "You were concerned about that?"

Erza suddenly stood up with a furious expression, "It's not too late! All of you get ready, cause' we're gonna have a five day training course from hell! You won't even get to sleep!"

Lucy and Wendy shrieked, "No!"

Lucky for them, a pigeon suddenly landed on the berserker woman's head with a note tied to it's leg. Gray undid the note and frowned, "It's a letter… 'To Fairy Tail, Come to the broken suspension bridge on the western hill.' What's that about?"

**/**

After walking to the hill and finding the bridge, something clicked in Levy's head, "Hey guys, where are Sting and Rogue?"

Jet answered quickly, "They went back to the guild a few days ago after they finished training at the beach."

"They actually left here about a month ago to go train somewhere else, but they came back just so they could see if you guys were here." Droy said with a nod.

Erza glanced at them, "How strong are they?"

Jet whistled, "You want my opinion? You can't even compare them to the level they were at three months ago. I'm talking crazy, stupid powerful. I think even you would have trouble dealing with them now, Erza."

Gray stomped the ground, "Dammit, those lucky little..! H-hey, the bridge!"

The destroyed bridge was suddenly repaired without anything touching it, leaving it as though it were brand new.

Yukino's eyes narrowed, "I'm guessing this is our invitation…"

Charle nodded, "I agree, but let's be careful…"

They crossed the bridge and into the forest past it, wandering down a straight path to a small clearing where three figures stood.

The figures walked up to them and removed their cloaks, the tall one in the middle murmuring softly, "Thank you for meeting with us..Fairy Tail…"

Erza's eyes got huge.

Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy stood before them, seven years older.

Erza barely managed a whisper, "Jellal…"

"You haven't aged a day, Erza." he said with a smile.

Ultear inclined her head to him, "We met up with him when we were lost and didn't know what to do.."

Wendy was staring at the grown up Meredy, who waved at her, "Wendy, hi!"

The little girl gasped, "You're Meredy..! You got so tall!"

Gray frowned, "Ultear..You aren't here as our enemies, right?"

Ultear smiled, "No, we're not. We joined together to form our own independent guild…Crime Sorciere. We've all made a lot of mistakes and wished to help those who we've wronged."

Jellal nodded, "Our lives have been rather dark…"

Erza swallowed hard, "Y-your memories…did you..?"

Jellal met her gaze steadily, "It's all there. Every last detail."

Her eyes widened as he went on, "About six years ago, just before I met Ultear and Meredy…That's when everything came back. Erza..I don't know what to say…"

Levy stared at them, "Hold on, not to break up your little reunion or anything, but this guild you made..you said it was independent? Why not have the council approve it?"

Jet shook his head, "Crime Sorciere doesn't work like that. I've heard of them. Over the years, they've destroyed countless dark guilds…"

Jellal nodded again, "That's our goal. Destroy Zeref and erase all the dark guilds..Though we are not an official guild since we are all wanted fugitives..and warfare between guilds is forbidden."

Meredy cleared her throat, "Anyways, you're going to the Grand Magic Games, right?"

Yukino nodded, "Yes, why? Do you want something?"

Ultear shook her head, "Well, sort of…We can't near the game grounds, but every year, we feel a suspicious magical presence disturbingly reminiscent of Zeref's…"

Juvia narrowed her eyes, "Juvia understands..You want us to find this magic?"

"Of course, but don't do anything overly reckless." Meredy answered.

Ultear smiled, "Well, with that out of the way, I'm going to prepay you for searching for the magic power."

"Food money!" Happy demanded.

Lucy shook her head, "Rent money!"

Ultear laughed, "No, not money. I can upgrade your magic power with my Arc of Time."

Fairy Tail tilted their heads in unison, "Huh?"

Ultear held out her magic orb, "Power up..You could call it that, but it's a little different. See, wizards have a container inside their bodies that determines the limits of their magic power. If the container becomes empty, ethernano comes from the air and fills it up gradually. But some recent research found that there is a second container that is seldom used. A, 'Second Origin' if you will…With my Time Ark, I can awaken your Second Origin and essentially double your magic power output."

The group cheered, "YES PLEASE!"

Ultear chuckled darkly, "But you will be in agonizing pain…"

"S-scary…" Wendy managed.

Gray hugged Ultear, "Oh, thank you! What can I say?!"

The woman smiled as she patted his head like a dog, "You can let go of me before I tell my mother you've become an animal." Gray cringed and hid behind a bush, making the others laugh.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

A little while later, the Fairy Tail gang was locked up in a cabin screaming their heads off as Ultear activated their Second Origin. The woman sighed, "Hang in there..bringing out dormant power isn't easy…"

Meredy glanced around, "I'm guessing Erza and Jellal went off somewhere together, huh?"

Happy suddenly flew in out of nowhere, "Yup! Guess what?"

Charle frowned, "What is it?"

Happy took a stick and drew a picture of a heart with a crack in the middle as he tried to contain his laughter.

Lector sighed, "Three."

Charle continued, "Two."

"One! Bye-bye Happy!" Frosch squeaked cheerfully.

Happy tilted his head, "What's-GUPA!"

Erza suddenly walked up from behind him and kicked the exceed sky high.

Ultear stared at her, "I've already done your Second Origin, but how are you okay when they can't even move without screaming?"

"I've been though plenty of pain before." Erza murmured, but her expression morphed into a smile, "Anyways, thanks. I don't think they'll move for a while now."

Jellal came out of the forest behind her, "Ultear, Meredy, we should go. We have something else to attend to."

Meredy nodded, "Right."

Ultear finished up with the Second Origin release and wiped her brow, "Phew, I could use a good night's sleep…" She winced as someone screamed inside the cabin particularly loud, "Which is better than anything they'll get tonight…"

Erza shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll knock them out soon enough."

Jellal caught her gaze and she smiled in response, "Be careful…"

"We will. Don't worry about us." he reassured.

Crime Sorciere walked off, leaving Erza to a cabin of screaming people. She sighed and drew a sword out of thin air, "Okay, practice time."

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch said as she waved a stick around like a sword.


	20. The Blooming Capital, Crocas

**Finally! The Grand Magic Games have begun! From here on out, I'm giving it all I've got, so I hope you like what I've got planned for you all!**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 20: The Blooming Capital, Crocas_

"We're here…" Lucy gasped as they finally reached the guild.

Besides Erza, they were all still in agony from the Second Origin awakening, but had somehow managed to get back.

Yukino groaned, "I feel so sore…"

"Did that damn spell actually work..?" Gray hissed through gritted teeth.

Levy nodded, "I think my magic power went up, but I'm still hurting pretty bad…"

Footsteps approached them and they heard Macao question them, "Why are you all so tired?"

Lucy looked up and saw most of the guild that had stayed in Fairy Tail during the missing seven years, but at the head were the Strauss siblings and…she paled as Sting and Rogue stared down at her and Yukino quietly.

Lucy laughed nervously, "Uhh, hi guys…How have you been?"

They said nothing, just kept staring.

Yukino whispered in Lucy's ear, "Don't provoke them, it'll just make it worse…"

"We can hear you." Sting muttered flatly.

All the attention was on the Dragon Slayers and the Spirit mages.

Sting growled, "So…how was your little vacation?"

Lucy smiled a little, "Uhh..we spent a day in the Spirit Realm and got kicked three months into the future…"

"Huh?! Did you guys get any training at all?!" Romeo asked with a stunned voice.

Erza nodded, "We'll do fine, but…"

Lucy and Yukino were still pinned under the intense gazes of the Dragon Slayers. Lucy tried to make conversation, "So, huh-"

"Call out Leo." Sting said at last.

She stared at him, "Um..Okay..?"

Lucy swiped the key and Leo appeared with a flash of golden light. He took Lucy's hand, his back to the Dragon Slayers, "Ah, my Master! What can I do for y-"

"Oi…"

Leo froze with wide eyes and slowly turned around while Sting and Rogue glared daggers at him.

Everyone took several steps back front the obviously pissed off Dragon Slayers.

The Lion Spirit held his hands up in surrender, "H-hey guys, ah..how are you? You look good! You look, uh..really strong, oh shit…"

"Oh shit is right, you damn lecher lion!" Sting and Rogue roared in unison and slammed their fists into his face, sending Leo flying through the air until he disappeared into the trees.

Lucy gaped, "That's what you wanted him for-kya!" Sting threw her over his shoulder while Rogue did the same to Yukino and walked into the guild with them.

The White Dragon growled, "We're talking. Now."

Juvia sniggered, "Punishment for Lucy…"

"Poor Yukino…" Wendy whimpered.

Gray shrugged, "Can you blame them? It was a day for us, but for them it was three months…Lucy and Yukino probably scared them half to death…"

Mira tilted her head, "Lucy did? Did I miss something?"

Levy clapped her hands, "Oh right, you don't know yet! Listen to this…"

**/**

Sting took Lucy into the back room while she struggled to get free, "Sting! I-I'm sorry, I didn't know Leo was gonna do that! I told him to wait, but you know how he is! He's-well, possessive! Nothing happened there and nothing will and-!"

Ignoring her, Sting pinned Lucy against the wall and crashed his mouth onto hers. She gasped at the force, just trying to stay standing since her body was still weak after the Second Origin had been awakened. He pressed against her, holding her up when she almost collapsed and kept on kissing her hard.

Sting separated when Lucy pushed on his chest and sucked in a mouthful of air. She blushed furiously, barely managing to talk, "J-jeez, a little warning would be nice…"

"No way. Not after three months…" he growled. Sting shook his head and hugged her. Lucy was still for a moment, then slipped her arms around his neck as he murmured in her ear, "You scared the hell out of me…"

She smiled, turning slightly to kiss his cheek, "I know. I'm sorry, I had no idea what they were doing..Can you forgive me?"

He sighed and hugged her tighter, "This time…Just don't let him pull you off like that again."

"I won't." she promised.

Sting suddenly released her and frowned at the door. Lucy stared at him, "What is it?" He watched the door for another moment, then yanked it open.

Mira tumbled in with a squeal, surprising Lucy into jumping. The intruder leaped to her feet and clapped her hands, "Levy told me everything, but I had to know for certain! I knew you two were perfect for each other!"

Sting rolled his eyes, "Dammit, there goes the game…"

Mira gasped, "What game? Wha-"

"It's nothing, just ask Levy. She knows." Lucy interrupted.

**/**

Meanwhile, Yukino was going through something similar to Lucy. But more intense. _Much_ more.

Rogue hadn't stopped kissing her for over three minutes now. She could hardly breathe and he bit at her neck whenever she had to have air. Eventually, even he had to take a breather and pulled away with a gasp, staring into her eyes fiercely.

Yukino trembled under his gaze, "A-are you done?"

"If you ever disappear like that again, I'll tie you to the bed." he hissed breathlessly.

She blushed madly, but he brought her close into his arms. Yukino sighed, "You were really worried, weren't you?"

Rogue nodded, "After seeing you just vanish and then hear nothing for three months? Why wouldn't I be?"

She brought a hand up and stroked his hair, "I'm alright, though…"

"I know…" he murmured.

He finally released her and dragged her out of the Master's office to the main hall. The others in the room glanced at them with sly looks, but Rogue wasn't in the mood for it and growled at the spectators, making them shut up pretty quick.

The Master had come into the building a few minutes earlier and was now standing on the bar, clearing his throat to get the group's attention, "I'm going to announce the group who will participate in the tournament."

The others gave him their full attention as he looked them all over for a moment, "Sting."

"Of course." Lector smirked.

"Rogue."

"Yay!" Frosch squealed.

Yukino smiled at him, "Good luck." Rogue said nothing, just allowed a small smile on his face.

"Erza."

Happy cheered, "Erza's here, we can't lose now!"

"I'll do my best." Erza promised.

"Gray."

"Good. I still have to kick Lyon's ass in this tournament." Gray said, cracking his knuckles.

The Master stroked his chin, "The last choice was tough, but…for teamwork's sake, I'll go with Lucy."

"..HUH?!" she gasped, "H-hold on Master! Wouldn't Laxus, Natsu, or Gajeel be better? What about Ur?"

Makarov sighed, "They haven't returned yet, unfortunately. That left me with choosing a strong team that's familiar with each other. This was the best choice I came up with."

Elfman looked pretty disappointed, but the Master was final, "Meet in Crocas within the next three days! I'll see you there!"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The Fairy Tail team arrived in Crocas a couple of days later. Lucy and Gray collapsed in the middle of the city with a groan.

Gray winced at his sore body, "Damn, I'm still hurting from that Second Origin thing.."

"Stand up! You're both wusses!" Erza barked.

Lucy stared at her, "How are you totally fine?"

"She probably had the Second Origin to begin with…" Gray muttered.

Lucy sighed, "That makes sense."

Sting glanced around, "Big place..it's even bigger than Magnolia."

Lector nodded, "Forget Magnolia, this place is even bigger than the kingdom in Edolas!"

"Finally, your crew showed up."

They turned as Makarov walked towards them with some of the other guild members. The old man, carrying Asuka on his shoulders, grinned at them, "We're all set now. Hahahaha! Give them a taste of Fairy Tail's power!"

Some people nearby heard him and stared at the group.

_"Fairy Tail? Those guys?" _

_"The tiny guild that always gets dead last?" _

_"Kehehehe…" _

Sting glared around, "Alright, who was it that just laughed?"

Erza glanced at him, "Keep your cool."

Two guys stuck their tongues at them and started to run off with raucous laughter, "You guys are gonna hit last place again!"

"Sabertooth is gonna smoke ya!"

As they ran, Rogue suddenly appeared in their shadows and quickly bashed them in the skull with the hilt of his katana, effectively knocking them out.

The other people teasing them died down and stared in shock.

_"W-whoa!" _

_"Fast.." _

_"SCARY!" _

Yukino sighed at him, "Was that really necessary?"

Rogue walked back over with a growl, "I'm in no mood to listen to a couple of fools blabber on about how weak we are when they haven't even seen what we can do."

"..Was knocking them out totally necessary though?" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Makarov smirked, "Let them go ahead and laugh."

"So Frosch doesn't have to hold back anymore!" the green exceed chirped. She faced Jet and Droy, pointed at them and started laughing, "Last place! Pukukuku!"

"DON'T LAUGH AT US!" they yelled.

Makarov pointed at the Fairy Tail team, "We've got thirty million..Ahem! I mean, aim for being the number one guild in Fiore! Or we won't be able to face the First Master who saved us!"

"Right!" they agreed.

The old man handed Erza a huge book, "This is the rule book. Finish it today, please."

Levy snatched it away while she put her Gale Force glasses on, "Let me do it! I'll finish it in a minute!"

She tore through the pages like a hurricane, then closed the book, "It seems there are three important points. First, Masters of the guilds cannot participate."

"Obviously." Makarov said.

"Second, anyone without the guild insignia can't participate either and shall simply observe."

"Well, that makes sense…" Yukino murmured.

"The rules of each event will remain confidential until the event actually starts…Oh! One more thing. All participants must return to their rooms by twelve o' clock midnight."

Lucy tilted her head with a smile, "Twelve? Kinda like a Cinderella story!"

Sting grinned, "We got plenty of time! Let's check this place out!"

He grabbed Lucy's hand and ran off with her and Lector.

Erza called after them, "You know the lodging, right?!"

"Honeybone!" they called back.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

They messed around for hours, picking up flower wreaths and putting them around their necks and heads like crowns.

A few more hours into the night, Lucy looked around a new street with flowers all over it, "No wonder it's called the Flower Blossom City…"

"Fight!" someone yelled.

Sting glanced over, "A fight during a festival? Let's see!"

Lector and Lucy ran after him as he charged in the direction of a commotion. Lector muttered slowly, "All the guilds of Fiore are here, so of course a fight or two'll break out…"

They saw a big crowd and pushed through to the front, finding two guys standing over a whole guild's worth of people.

One of the men was massive, with a long mane of spiky green hair.

His companion was smaller, but also had very long, spiky hair, this time blonde.

The big man smirked, "You guys figure it out yet? This ain't even a warm-up for me!"

The crowd around them muttered nervously.

_"Those guys are Sabertooth's God Slayers…" _

_"Orga and Zancrow!" _

_"The strongest of the strong…"_

Sting frowned, "Sabertooth?"

Zancrow turned towards him and his eyes widened, "You..! Sting Eucliffe?!"

Orga also looked over at him, raising an eyebrow, "This pipsqueak is the White Dragon?"

Zancrow walked towards them, "You're attending the Grand Magic Games? Does that mean Natsu Dragneel's in this too?"

Sting stared at him, "Well no, not this time…Zancrow, right? Natsu told me about you..sounds like you're not just all talk."

Zancrow's eyes darkened, "I don't care about that..Answer this for me: How is it that four-no, five- Dragon Slayers couldn't even kill a single dragon?"

"Excuse me?" Sting growled.

Orga put a hand on Zancrow's shoulder, "You know this guy was supposed to be Dragneel's apprentice. After hearing you got blasted by Acnologia, I think he lost his respect for you lot in Fairy Tail. How can you be, 'Slayers'" if you can't even kill what you were made to kill?"

Lucy glared at him, "You're only able to say that because you haven't seen Acnologia!"

"It wasn't normal. No magic worked on that thing!" Lector put in.

Orga cracked his neck, "Maybe, but that's the difference between our, 'Slayer' magics. Ours are the real deal…"

Sting felt a chill go down his spine, "What do you mean?"

Orga grinned darkly, "The Gods that taught us God Slaying Magic..were destroyed by our own hands...So we could become true God Slayers."

Lucy cringed, "You..killed.._Gods?!" _

Lector was stunned, "A human..killed something like a God…"

_"You murdered..your parents…" _Sting hissed.

Orga smirked, "We did. I hope we meet in the tournament events..I'll show you how powerful a real, "Slayer" is." He turned and walked away, "Let's go, Zancrow."

Zancrow nodded, but glanced back at Sting, "Tell Natsu to get into the tournament. I want to crush him myself."

"Beat me, then I'll let you have a shot at Natsu." Sting growled.

Zancrow got in his face, the red eyes fierce, "You really don't want me to do that."

Lucy pulled Sting away, "Sting, let's go…We don't want trouble here…"

Lector nodded, "It's almost midnight, anyways..Let's get to the lodge."

Sting growled at Zancrow again angrily, but turned away. After a few steps, he glanced back at him, "Romeo still looks up to you."

Zancrow said nothing, just stared at him.

Sting turned away and threw some words over his shoulder, "We'll settle this at the tournament. Just don't disappoint that kid."

The God Slayer's eyes narrowed and he walked after Orga, putting distance between his rival guild.

**/**

"Where were you wandering this whole time?" Erza demanded.

Gray shifted uncomfortably, "I got dragged into a depressing dinner…"

"We got dragged into something weird..well, we actually walked right into it." Lucy said uneasily.

Sting was baring his fangs angrily.

Rogue stared at him, "What's got you all wound up?"

Lector shook his head, "We ran into Sabertooth's God Slayers in the streets."

Gray whipped towards them, "Huh?! Why did you get all the fun?!"

"It wasn't fun, you damn stripper, it was a pain in the ass!" Sting growled.

Erza frowned, "That aside, Wendy was supposed to meet us here. She wanted to wish us luck, or something."

Lucy sighed, "I wonder what Wendy's up to now…" She pictured the little girl with Charle in a delinquent outfit. "...What do we do?" she cried.

Gray stared at her, "You're imagination is too much…"

The door suddenly opened and in walked Elfman and Lisanna with a box of drinks and snacks.

Lisanna smiled, "Hi guys, we brought refreshments!"

"Oi, you pumped up for tomorrow?" Elfman demanded.

Gray glanced at him, "I guess..you know, you really bulked up after training in the mountains."

Elfman put the food down and flexed, but gritted his teeth, "I got stronger, but I still didn't get picked…GAH! I wanna show my sisters how strong I am!"

Erza nodded, "I'm sure you'll get the chance, but can you do me a favor?"

Lisanna blinked at her, "What is it?"

"Wendy wanted to come here and wish us good luck, but she isn't here yet..and we can't leave to go find her since it's almost midnight."

Elfman frowned, "Wendy was supposed to be with the Master right now…"

Lisanna nodded, "I know you guys can't leave until midnight, so of course we'll try to find her."

**_GONG…GONG...GONG…_**

Gray looked at the clock, "It's midnight now…"

"What's gonna happen?" Lucy asked.

A booming voice suddenly echoed out through the city, emanating from a 3D projection of a man with a pumpkin head, "Good Morning! To all the guilds here for the Grand Magic Games…In order to narrow down the competing teams from 113 to eight, we will now…start the preliminary event!"

Rogue stared at the projection in shock, "No one said anything about a preliminary event!"

Lector tilted his head at the image, "A pumpkin?"

"That's what you're concerned about?" Gray asked.

Lucy's mind was racing, "113 teams..that's way too many guilds for Fiore…"

Erza shifted uneasily, "Why didn't they tell us about the preliminary event beforehand?" _Too many guilds and a mysterious magic presence…could the host of the games be the suspicious one? _

The huge pumpkin projection did a dance as he kept talking, "Each year, the number of competing guilds keeps growing and the events got too predictable, so we made some changes. This year, only eight teams can compete for the official events. The preliminary rules are simple!"

The building beneath them suddenly shook and rose into the sky.

Sting grabbed Lucy as she almost tripped, but then gasped a moment later as he felt motion sickness overwhelm him. The others tried to maintain their footing, though Rogue dropped to the ground, also too sick to move.

Pumpkin man kept talking cheerily, "The event starts now. The official event grounds, the Domus Flau, will be your destination. The first eight teams to get there will enter the finals!"

Gray stared out over the city, "Look! Other buildings are transforming too!"

"So, our dorm is the starting point of the preliminary event?" Erza mused.

A path suddenly appeared at the railing and led to a huge mass of magic creating something in the sky.

The pumpkin man sang happily, "You are free to use all magics. No restrictions. The preliminaries end once the first eight teams make it to the grounds. But you will be disqualified if not all five members are present. Ah! One! More! Thing~! We take no responsibility for lives lost in the Labyrinth."

Sting's eyes widened, "The Labyrinth?!"

"The Grand Magic Games! Sky Labyrinth has begun!" Pumpkin man declared.


	21. Start of the Grand Magic Games

**Geez, I spoil you guys so much with these extra long chapters and fast updates! But since I wanna hit the ground running with this tournament, just take it all in stride! It's gonna be wild (FOUR! I wasn't talking to you mutts!) so enjoy! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 21: Start of the Grand Magic Games_

A massive sphere of machinery appeared in the sky, with countless paths leading up to it.

Sting was stunned by the size of it, "It's huge..That thing is the Labyrinth?!"

"We have to go through there to reach the Domus Flau…" Lucy said.

Erza whipped towards Lisanna and Elfman, "Can I count on you two to find Wendy for me?"

Lisanna nodded, "Of course, just hurry!"

"Be a man, and win!" Elfman roared.

Sting leaped onto the path ahead of the others and started running, "Let's go!"

Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Rogue flew after him.

Rogue smirked as they ran, "This is the entrance of the Labyrinth, eh?"

Gray laughed, "No, it's the entrance to being the top of Fiore!"

Lucy smiled fiercely, "Let's give it all we've got, and win this competition!"

**/**

Lisanna and Elfman ran down to the street and started searching for Wendy.

Elfman glanced at his sister, "Oi, shouldn't Wendy be with, 'Them'? Maybe she just forgot to meet with Erza…"

Lisanna shook her head, "Wendy doesn't forget things that easily, especially not with Charle. I just hope they're alright..I'll head towards the castle, you get the others and check the streets. Tell me if you find anything with Warren's telepathy."

"As a man, I'll promise to do that!" Elfman ran off, searching for the others while Lisanna stared at Mercurius.

_Wendy said she wanted to go sightseeing…did she get lost? What about the others? If Wendy isn't with them, then…_

**/**

The inside of the labyrinth was a freakish maze of paths that ran at every possible angle.

Sting looked around uneasily, "Damn, I hate this kinda thing…"

"It's a three dimensional structure, huh…" Gray muttered.

Erza sighed, "The event grounds are in the east, so that's where we should go."

Lucy pulled out a silver key, "Leave that to me! Gate of the Compass, I open thee! Pyxis!" A funny looking bird with a compass on it's head appeared and pointed in a direction with it's wings while Lucy mirrored it, "That way!"

Erza stared at them, "Thanks Lucy, but..I brought a compass…"

Lucy and Pyxis looked dejected, "Pyxis, good job…" The poor bird vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sting scratched the back of his head, "That said, it's not like we can go straight east..not with how this place is made."

Erza glanced at him, "How's your motion sickness?"

"Weirdly enough, I'm okay. Beats me why, though." he remarked.

Rogue nodded, "I don't feel sick either…"

A screen with the pumpkin man suddenly appeared near them, "I'll explain! For this round, the Sky Labyrinth has been treated with magic so those with motion sickness or fear of heights can compete equally!"

The screen disappeared and Lucy tilted her head, "It's like a Troia, then. Maybe that means Sting and Rogue aren't the only ones with motion sickness!"

Gray snorted, "That's just pathetic."

"I can hear you, you frozen bastard!" Sting growled.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

As they moved eastward, Erza kept making notes on a piece of paper.

Gray stared at the scribbles, "What are you doing?"

She showed him a description of places they'd seen with landmarks, "Making a map so we know where we've already been. Like how we got here from the starting point. If we can't figure out where we are, we've already lost."

Lucy glanced at Sting, "Can't you sniff out the goal, or something?"

He shook his head, "No, my nose isn't working for some reason.."

"Neither is mine. They must have cast magic so our senses are all equal." Rogue mused.

A faint tapping echoed in the maze and made them freeze.

Gray looked around, "You heard that, right?"

"Yeah, I did." Erza said slowly. They heard several voices getting closer, arguing as they went.

Sting looked up and jumped, "Above!"

The others whipped their heads up and saw people standing upside down above them. A man with a mace stared down at them, "Hey, seriously?"

Gray's eyes narrowed, "Twilight Ogre, huh…"

Teebo pulled the mace off his back while his team smirked at Fairy Tail, "Lookin' like shit, as usual! You're actually participating in this? Even though you always get dead last?"

"Says the guy who got his ass handed to him with one shot." Sting growled.

Rogue started sliding his katana out of it's sheath, "We aren't the same this year, Ogre."

Teebo laughed, "How so?!"

Lucy paled, "Are you gonna fight here?"

"There aren't any restrictions on magic here! And the less rivals, the better!" Teebo yelled, charging them with his team.

Rogue sighed, "Do you ever learn?"

Gray shrugged, "He's got a point. The less people breathing down our necks, the easier this'll be."

Teebo brought the mace up to smash them as he bellowed, "GET EM'!"

**"PISS OFF!"** Sting, Gray, and Erza crashed into them with a roar and sent them flying.

As Ogre started to fall, the Labyrinth shifted and started moving.

Lucy gasped, "Ah! Th-the floor!"

"Dammit, it's spinning on it's axis!" Rogue realized.

Lucy slipped and almost fell, but Gray created a floor of ice that caught and brought her back to them as the Labyrinth stabilized. He wiped his brow, "Phew, that was close!"

Twilight Ogre fell in a heap next to them, a piece of paper landing on the floor close to Erza, who picked it up.

Sting glanced at it, "A map?"

"Looks like…" Erza said with a nod.

A grin cracked on Gray's face, "Lucky us. We can get a more accurate map by combining this with ours."

Erza's eyes suddenly gained a dark glint.

Teebo was clinging to the edge of a platform and scrabbling to get back on, "H-hey, that's ours! Give it back!"

Erza promptly kicked him off the edge so he fell, "I refuse."

Teebo fell past the Labyrinth and a beeper sounded with the Pumpkin Man's voice, "You are disqualified."

Erza, Sting, Gray, and Rogue all got demonic glints in their eyes along with predatory smiles, "I see…I believe I understand how the elimination round works, now…"

Lucy cringed, "Everyone, your eyes are scary!"

Glancing around, they realized several groups had stumbled into their area following the Labyrinth's rotation.

Lucy watched as her teammates tore them apart like paper.

Gray froze a dozen people with one go, "We just need to take their maps, eh?!"

"Finally, I can warm up for the real battles." Rogue said darkly, as he darted from person to person, knocking them out with swift jabs to the back of the head.

Sting blew three teams away with a single punch, "It helps we all kick ass!"

Erza beat the tar out of seven teams at once and taunted them as she took their maps, "I'm taking this."

"Please do!" they begged.

Lucy crouched by the defeated teams with a stack of maps her teammates had gotten for her. She smiled apologetically at them, "Sorry about this…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Lucy managed to analyze the maps rather quickly and directed her team eastward, as they annihilated the competition until Erza counted 32 teams down by their hands alone.

Eventually, she managed to lead them to the goal, where the Pumpkin Man was waiting.

He clapped his hands as they approached, "Congratulations! You've passed the Preliminary Event!"

Sting grinned, "Of course we did."

"I bet we're first, right?" Gray asked cooly.

The Pumpkin Man shook his head, "Nope. You just made eighth place. Barely scraped by."

Quite frankly, they were stunned.

**/**

Lisanna had found Happy while she searched for Wendy, and a telepathic talk with Warren told her that Wendy was not where she should have been. And they did find them.

But what they found wasn't good.

Wendy and Charle were both unconscious. Happy tried to shake Charle awake, but she was out cold.

Lisanna got a hold of Warren again. _(We found them!)_

_(Are they okay?!) _

_(No, they aren't! They're both unconscious! Hurry up and call someone, Warren!) _

_(Calm down, Natsu just got back. He's headed your way with Gajeel and Pantherlily now.) _

_(Okay, thanks…) _

With that, Warren cut the transmission.

Lisanna looked Wendy over, but couldn't find any visible injuries. She swallowed nervously, "I can't find anything physically wrong with her, but Wendy's magic power is totally gone…"

"So is Charle's." Happy cried.

Wendy blinked her eyes open, and Lisanna tried to make her focus, "She's awake! Wendy! It's me, Lisanna! What happened?!"

The girl blinked again and started crying, "No, stop…"

Lisanna managed to bring her tone down to soothe the scared girl, "It's okay, it's Lisanna and Happy. Do you remember?"

Wendy nodded slowly, still shaking in fear.

"What happened?"

Lisanna looked up as Pantherlily flew down in his battle form with Natsu and Gajeel.

The Salamander scanned Wendy over and growled, "Who did this to you?!"

Gajeel sniffed the air, "I don't smell anything odd…But this place has a creepy air to it."

"We can figure it out later. Wendy and Charle are priority now, let's get them to the clinic." Pantherlily said. Natsu growled again in frustration, but agreed.

As they left the castle garden, a small, dark creature watched them from a lamp post, "Kehehe…"

Gajeel stopped dead and spun around with a hiss, "Who's there?!"

"Did you hear something?" Natsu demanded.

Black Steel looked around slowly. _Just now…that was…_

"…No. Just the wind. Let's get the hell outta here." he said dismissively. But Gajeel knew. He would've known that presence anywhere.

_…Ivan, you bastard..._

**/**

The next day, Sting's team was set up with matching outfits for the opening ceremony. They could hear the crowd roaring outside.

Lucy looked in the direction of the noise nervously, "That's a lot of people…"

"They're making quite a lot of cheering…" Erza remarked.

Rogue put his katana at his side after he finished changing, "I guess they're all wizards and a mass of normal spectators as well."

Sting looked his attire over with disdain, "Why do we have to wear these, again?"

"Master told us to." Lucy reminded him, for the THIRD time in the past ten minutes.

Erza smiled easily, "I like mine. It looks cute."

Gray, completely shirtless, nodded agreement, "I like mine too."

"Try wearing it first." Lucy said dryly.

Sting looked to the ground, "It's great we made it here and all, but…what happened to Wendy?"

**(FLASHBACK)**

_Sting burst into the clinic ahead of the group. _

_Natsu, Lisanna, and Happy were standing by the bed, where Wendy was talking to them. Sting strode over and stared at Natsu, "What happened?" _

_Natsu shrugged, growling in frustration, "Lisanna found her unconscious in the castle gardens. No one else was there, but her magic power is totally gone…" _

_"Are you saying she was attacked?" Erza demanded. _

_Wendy frowned, "I can't remember much, but I think there was a small black creature…It was really scary…" _

_Rogue's eyes narrowed, "She was ambushed where no one could help her…this wasn't just coincidence. Someone must have followed her until they were out of sight from others." _

_Wendy's lower lip trembled, "Sorry Natsu, I messed up…" _

_"It's okay. You just rest and get better." he murmured, rubbing her forehead. Natsu frowned after lifting his hand from her head, "She's got a fever, too…Dammit, what do you do when your medic is the sick one?" _

_"You get another medic, boy." _

_They all turned as Porlysuca walked in and looked Wendy over, "Magic Power Deficiency, then. She'll be okay after some rest." _

_Lucy stared at her, "Um, what did you come here for?" _

_The old woman glanced at her, "Can I not cheer you on?" _

_Lucy jumped, "Uh, no! No, it's no problem." _

_"Relax, child. I don't bite." Porlysuca said with amusement. The healer then proceeded to kick them out of the room, "I need to work! Leave!" _

**(FLASHBACK END)**

A staff member ran up to the Fairy Tail Team, "It's time! Please proceed to the stadium!"

They left wordlessly, walking to the edge of the hall until they were called for.

Sting growled, "You think the bastard that hurt Wendy is in this?"

Lucy shook her head, "Don't assume anything. We don't have any concrete evidence."

"All we can do now is win for Wendy's sake." Rogue murmured.

"Don't forget the rest of Fairy Tail." Gray added, "We're here to fight for the seven year gap they went through."

Erza nodded, "We'll definitely win. For our friends."

**/**

The announcer's voice echoed loudly in the stadium, "The annual magic festival finally starts! The Grand Magic Games!"

The crowd screamed in excitement as the announcer went on, "Chapati Lola here. I'll be covering the events throughout the week. We are honored to have former council member Mr. Yajima as our commentator. It's wonderful to have you here, Mr. Yajima!"

"The pleasure's all mine." Answered the old man.

Chapati kept talking, "For day one's guest, were also happy to have Miss Fiore, Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus!"

The crowd cheered even more as Jenny spoke happily into her mic, "We're gonna win this year!"

"Okay, the first team is arriving! Ranking eighth place in the preliminary event, can they reclaim the glory of the old days?"

**/**

"Let's go." Erza said.

Sting led them out with a growl, "Right…"

**/**

Chapati finished the announcement, "Contrary to their name, it's the wild, rowdy, Fairy Tail!"

To the team's shock, they were met with a mass of booing people.

Gray rolled his eyes, "Dear mother of god, so annoying…"

"We'll shut them up nice and quick." Sting muttered.

**/**

Yajima saved some dignity for them however, "Fairy Tail may have been last these past years, but this year they have the Tenrou Gang who shocked Fiore with their return. Don't underestimate them!"

**/**

Lucy smiled, "At least someone doesn't hate our guts…"

"Don't take it seriously, Lucy." Erza pointed to a group in the stands, "Our friends will always cheer for us."

Everyone in Fairy Tail was cheering them on, waving flags and banners with their guild's insignia. Makarov shouted, "Hooray! Fairy Tail!"

**/**

Sting blinked at the stands then frowned, "Hey, Rogue, you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Do you mean..?" The Shadow Dragon had also noticed something out of place.

Lucy stared in shock, "Isn't that…"

Erza tilted her head, "No way…"

**/**

Makarov noticed their stares and glanced to his right. To his, and the entire guild's utter shock, Master Mavis was sitting on the railing cheering with them, "Hooray, hooray! Fairy Tail!"

_"MASTER MAVIS?!"_ they yelled.

Mavis laughed, "I'm here to cheer for you!"

"You came to cheer..?" Makarov asked weakly.

She nodded, "Don't worry, only people with our crest can see me."

The old man scratched his head, "Well, that's not a problem, but should you be here?"

"I got bored staying on Tenrou Island forever." Mavis explained happily.

**/**

Sting grinned, "We can't afford to lose with the First Master watching us!"

Gray shook his head, "Even if she's just a spirit…"

**/**

Chapati started announcing the next team, "In seventh place for the preliminaries, it's the hounds of hell's army, Quatro Cerberus!"

**/**

Five guys came out yelling in unison, "Wild!" "FOUR!"

**/**

Chapati continued, "In sixth place is the all-female guild! The dancers in the deep ocean, Mermaid Heel!"

**/**

A team of women walked into the stadium, waving and blowing kisses at the crowd.

In the stands, Macao and Wakaba started drooling while Happy gasped, "A guild like that exists?!"

**/**

"Coming up in fifth place, the wings that sparkle in the dark, Blue Pegasus!" Chapati announced.

Jenny cheered, "Win it, guys!"

**/**

Ichiya came out with the Trimens and…a person in a bunny suit.

While the crowd cheered the Trimens and boo'd Ichiya, Sting stared at the rabbit, "The hell is that?"

**/**

Chapati called for the next team, "In fourth, the goddess of love and war, the sacred destroyers Lamia Scale!"

**/**

In Lamia's part of the stands, their Guild Master, an old lady, spun her fist furiously, "Only fourth?! Quit screwing around, you idiots!"

A girl a little older than Wendy waved at the woman, "I'm sorry, Master Oobaba! I held everyone back-kya!" The girl tripped and fell seemingly on nothing.

Lyon sighed, "Chelia, don't freak out."

Gray smirked at his fellow pupil, "Tough Master."

"Don't talk about tough to me, mister eighth place preliminary." Lyon said with a dark smile.

Lucy tilted her head at the girl, "Who is that?"

Yuuka pointed at Chelia, "She's Sherry's cousin."

"Haha, she's super strong!" Toby declared.

Chelia shook her head modestly, "No, my love isn't nearly good enough…"

The doggish man yelled at her, "I was paying you a compliment!"

"Cool down, muttley." Yuuka said as Chelia cringed at Toby's outburst.

Lyon pointed at Gray challengingly, "Remember, if we win, Juvia joins Lamia Scale."

Gray rolled his eyes, "I never agreed to that, but we ain't losing anyways."

Ichiya rushed up to Erza, "In that case, I'll take Erza!"

"Keep dreaming, you aren't taking me anywhere!" Erza growled.

Ren went towards Lucy, but she stopped him in his tracks, "You have Sherry, don't even think about it!"

Hibiki put an arm around Lucy instead, "Then I'll get Lucy."

"Hey, you…"

Lucy froze and Hibiki half turned to see Sting baring his fangs with a furious grin, "Hands off, playboy."

The crowd laughed as the Triman cowered under the overprotective White Dragon, who made sure the Pegasus guys didn't come within fifteen feet of his mate.

**/**

Chapati started announcing the next team, "Next up, in third place…Wow, what a surprise! A first-time guild made their way into the top three! The midnight raiders, Raven Tail!"

**/**

A man in armor led a crew of shady looking mages into the arena.

Sting hissed in shock, "Raven Tail?!"

Erza stared at them, "That's..the guild founded by Master's son, Ivan!"

"But wait..are-aren't they.." Lucy stammered.

**/**

In the stands, Makarov was furious, "A dark guild! The tournament officials are okay with letting them participate?! Well?!"

Macao and Wakaba restrained him, "Master, calm down!"

Mavis eyed the new guild curiously, "I do feel a malicious force…"

**/**

Chapati calmed the now disturbed crowd, "According to official records, Raven Tail has existed for over seven years, but it was approved as an official guild only recently."

"If it's been approved, then it's not a dark guild." Yajima mused.

**/**

Makarov was fuming, "Damn you, Ivan..what the hell are you here for..? How did you pull this off?"

**/**

The masked man at the head of Raven Tail faced the Fairy Tail Team unflinchingly, "Fairy Tail. That brat was our way of saying hello."

A dark creature appeared on the shoulder of a mad with a long nose and did a mockery of Wendy before it pretended to faint.

Sting was bristling with rage in an instant, baring his fangs and growling threateningly, "You were the jackass who hurt Wendy! You're not getting away with that in one piece!"

The armored man shrugged disconcertedly, "Let's enjoy the festival…"

Raven Tail turned away from Fairy Tail's furious glares.

Gray muttered to Erza quietly, "Two teams left. Sabertooth and one other…"

"Could they have something to do with the mysterious magic power Jellal told us about?" she wondered.

**/**

"Alright! Just two more teams! Coming in second place is…Well, this is definitely a surprise! Could their broken wings really have carried them this far?! The unbelievable, least expected…"

Everyone in the stadium stared in disbelief at the next team entering the colosseum.

"..Fairy Tail B Team!"

**/**

Gray's jaw dropped, "HUH?!"

Natsu led out Gajeel, Mira, Laxus, and Ur into the stadium, a confident smirk on his face.

Sting grinned, "Natsu…"

"Gajeel…" Rogue growled.

Erza nodded, "Mira, as expected."

"Isn't having Laxus here breaking the rules?!" Lucy shrieked.

Gray's eyes almost popped out of his head, "UR?!"

The Wizard Saint waved at her student, "I took Wendy's spot when she went missing. Sorry Gray, but I'm not holding back."

**/**

Yuuka shifted uncomfortably, "They've got a Wizard Saint too, huh…"

Jura smiled, "Ur…"

"Excellent." Lyon said with satisfaction, eyes locked on his former master.

**/**

Ichiya watched them carefully, "Another Fairy Tail team…"

**/**

The leader of the Quatro Cerberus team grunted uneasily, "The hell is this? Why do they get two teams?"

**/**

Chapati called for quiet, "It looks like a lot of people missed something important, Mr. Yajima."

The old man nodded, "For this year, each guild has the privilege of entering two teams into the tournament."

**/**

Lucy gaped at the stands, "Master, we never heard about that!"

**/**

The old man laughed victoriously, "You see that?! That's how we roll in Fairy Tail!"

**/**

Chapati shifted in his seat, "The final day will be a battle between all of the teams…will guild members be capable of fighting each other?"

"They won't have a problem with it." Yajima dismissed.

Jenny sighed, "Well, I don't think it's fair since they'll have two people in the events. But I supposed that since over 100 teams entered and they were the only ones who got two teams through they've earned it."

**/**

Something clicked in Rogue's head, "I get it. That's why there were so many teams in the preliminaries…"

"Makes sense, now." Erza agreed with a nod.

Sting bared his fangs at Natsu, "I ain't holding back, brother. Don't expect any mercy."

Natsu grinned, "Right back atcha. We won't pull any punches, mister last place."

**/**

Chapati got the crowd's attention again, "Alright, just one more team! You know them! You love them! The strongest, invincible, indisputable champions! Sabertooth!"

**/**

The crowd screamed in excitement as the final group walked out.

A woman in a dress with a sabertooth tiger on the front led out her male teammates, holding a hand up to the crowd.

Orga and Zancrow came next, with Orga pumping a fist into the air while Zancrow held both arms up with a grin.

A masked man with blonde hair and a hat came next, then a man with gray hair and glasses, who pointed a hand out with a finger gun.

Zancrow's eyes found the Salamander and darkened, "Natsu…"

"Zancrow.." Natsu muttered.

Orga smirked at Sting, "Hey there, dragon pipsqueak."

"Don't talk down to me, you mountain of meat." the White Dragon growled.

The only woman of the team looked between the four, "Save it for the events, boys. You can kill each other later."

Zancrow turned away from Natsu with a disgusted look, "Yes, Minerva…"

Orga gestured to the woman, "The miss is quite the devil. Don't give her a reason to hate you, dragon pipsqueak."

"Don't tempt me." Sting snarled.

**/**

"With all the teams here, we'll now announce the program for the tournament!" Chapati exclaimed.

A huge rock slab appeared in the middle of the arena with a list of days and events.

**Day 1: Hidden+Battle**

**Day 2: ?+Battle**

**Day 3: ?+Battle**

**Day 4: ?+Tag Battle**

**Day Five: ?**

The announcer man went on, "There will be an event every day and a battle every day, and a tag battle on the fourth day. In terms of games, the points are distributed like so," Another, smaller slab appeared with a list of rankings and point dispersal.

**1st: 10pt**

**2nd: 8pt**

**3rd: 6pt**

**4th: 4pt**

**5th: 3pt**

**6th: 2pt**

**7th: 1pt**

**8th: 0pt**

"Each team can select any member to participate in the events, but the sponsors will choose the battle pairs by drawing, considering factors like the fan's votes." Chapati explained.

**/**

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "So, if we're unlucky, we could get someone who participated in the event and is low on magic power sent straight to a fight…"

"We got Lucy, she's plenty lucky!" Sting assured.

Lucy laughed a little, blushing slightly, "Thanks, I hope you're right…"

**/**

Yajima quieted the crowd, "Now, we should start the opening event of the Grand Magic Games…That's Hidden."

"That's right, Mr. Yajima! Each team please send out one member, and the rules will be explained once everyone has been chosen." Chapati said.

**/**

Sting glanced at his team and cracked his knuckles, "Alright then…"

"Who wants to kick ass first?"


	22. Starfall Night

**Okay, here's the first competition of the Grand Magic Games in the new text layout! I added a little surprise here for those of you who go through it again and find it. You'll see what I'm talking about in the later chapters, but there's a little sneak peek.**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 22: Starfall Night_

"Okay! Let's start Hidden! All teams, please choose your participants!" The crowd roared as Chapati announced the game.

**/**

A buff guy with a ponytail stepped forward from the Quatro Cerberus team, "I'll take point!"

His team leader nodded, "Don't forget! Your soul is always…"

"WILD!" the man yelled.

**/**

"The first person to step up is Yeager!"

**/**

A young girl dressed in a western style outfit spoke to the Mermaid Heel team leader, "I'll go first, if that's okay!"

"I'll permit it." the older woman said cooly.

**/**

"Mermaid Heel is going with Beth Vanderwood!"

**/**

The armored man from Raven Tail muttered lowly, "Nullpudding, you're up."

"Got it." A short man with a huge chin stepped out of their ranks.

**/**

"From Raven Tail, it's Nullpudding!"

**/**

Lamia Scale was debating with each other.

"If it's Hidden, we should send someone small who can hide easily!" Chelia argued.

Toby growled, "No way! I wanna go first!"

The doggish man ran forward despite Yuuka's sigh, "Oh, great…"

**/**

"Lamia Scale is going with Toby Horhorta!"

**/**

From the Blue Pegasus team, Eve stepped up to the plate, "I'll go!"

"Eve, Eve! Goes first!" his team chanted.

**/**

Jenny cheered into the microphone, "Yes, Eve! Win it all the way!"

"Pegasus has selected Eve Tilm! Now, who will Sabertooth select?!"

**/**

The blonde man with the mask and hat walked out of his team's midst, murmuring softly, "I'll go. The birds are singing a lovely song today." He took his hat off and held it up to the crowd, making the cheering rise exponentially.

**/**

"They've chosen! The bard who sings to the red moon! Rufus Lore has entered!"

**/**

Gray tch'd, "What's the big deal..?"

"Who should we pick? The contest is Hidden, so it's probably going to involve stealth…" Erza mused.

Sting grinned, "Do you really have to wonder about that?"

He gestured to Rogue, who nodded, "I'll go first."

"Right off the bat?" Lucy asked anxiously.

The Shadow Dragon smirked, "Let me see what this competition is all about. We should grab it right from the start."

**/**

"Fairy Tail A Team is going with Rogue Cheney!"

**/**

Gajeel bared his fangs, "I think I'll join my little brother. See ya, suckers."

"If you lose, I'll kick your ass." Natsu growled.

**/**

"Fairy Tail B Team is sending in Gajeel Redfox!"

**/**

In the stands, Fairy Tail started cheering. "Go Gajeel!" Levy shouted.

Lily nodded, "Show them your power!"

Yukino and Frosch called out, "Good luck, Rogue!"

**/**

A short man wearing a pumpkin head walked into the stadium and gestured to the competitors, "Participants for "Hidden", please come forward!"

**/**

Chapati spoke enthusiastically into his mic, "We're just about set to start! But what kind of competition will this be? Mr. Yajima, are there any players we should watch closely?"

"Hmm…Rufus is definitely the crowd's favorite, but personally I will be watching Gajeel and Rogue. Those from seven years ago remember the Dark Dragons as fierce opponents." Yajima mused.

Chapati looked over at Jenny, "What about you, Jenny? Who will you be watching?"

She smiled happily, "Well, Eve of course! He's super strong!"

**/**

As the competitors gathered around the pumpkin man, Gajeel smirked at his younger brother, "I ain't holding back, little brother. Don't expect any mercy."

"As long as you don't expect any from me." Rogue growled.

Black Steel frowned at the pumpkin man, "I've been wondering this since the competition, but what _are _you? Your scent is human enough, but what's with the head gear?"

The short man stammered, "W-well, I'm a pumpkin, you see!"

Gajeel tilted his head, "Should I not have asked that?"

"He looks like a pumpkin, Gajeel, just go with it." Rogue sighed.

Eve nodded, "That happens every year."

"He's probably a staff member!" Beth chirped.

They bowed to the pumpkin man, "Good work on the character!"

The pumpkin man looked bashful, "No, no, I do this all for fun, so no need for praise-kabo!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "Don't go overboard on your character."

Nullpudding stepped up, "Hey, hold on a sec. I don't know what this competition is, or what any of the others are, but the fairies here have an advantage over us."

Gajeel snarled, "What was that, you chinny bastard?"

Pumpkin man held his hands out, "It can't be helped! It's just amazing that two teams from the same guild made it here-kabo!"

Rufus chuckled, "I don't particularly mind. Just because there are two of them doesn't make it an advantage…"

Yeager cracked his knuckles, "I could care less."

"I don't mind either." Beth said.

Nullpudding tch'd and looked away.

Rogue eyed the Sabertooth mage quietly, "I suppose I should be impressed. You've got confidence to spare."

Rufus shrugged, "It's possible your fellow member will become your weakness. He could be held hostage, threatened, leak information, and all other sorts of unpleasant and undesirable situations could occur. Remember that."

Gajeel snorted, "Hold me hostage, my ass. No person in their right mind would even consider that."

The pumpkin man pointed up and shouted, "Field OPEN!"

A mass of magic power suddenly erupted from the ground and created buildings, streets, virtually an entire town in the stadium.

Rogue's eyes widened, "Th-this is..!"

"The hell?!" Gajeel growled.

**/**

Back with the rest of their teams, Lucy gaped, "A town!"

Gray was stunned, "They made a freakin' _town _in the blink of an eye!"

"And it's huge…" Natsu muttered, thoroughly stunned.

**/**

In the stands, Lector gasped, "The just put a city in the middle of the arena!"

Makarov shook his head in amazement, "Now, I've seen everything."

**/**

In a corner of the stadium, a masked man watched with narrowed eyes, "The creation of a town? How much magic is being used to pull that off?!"

**/**

Rogue suddenly felt an unfamiliar sensation and was teleported to place in the middle of the newly-formed city. He glanced around carefully, finding that he was alone. _So that's it, huh…_

**/**

Gajeel tch'd, "This is messed up. We're just playing hide and seek in this dump?"

**/**

Nullpudding grunted and started walking around.

**/**

Beth looked around anxiously, "Where should I hide?"

**/**

Eve smirked, "Hide and seek in here, eh…"

**/**

Toby growled, "Onnn..."

**/**

Rufus stayed put and smiled knowingly.

**/**

Yeager scratched his head uneasily, "This is a weird way to play hide and seek! Who's seeking?"

**/**

"Everyone in the stands, please enjoy what's going on in the town via Lacrima Vision." Chapati said as multiple screens appeared in midair, "The eight participants don't know what the others are doing, or where they are. The rules of "Hidden" are simple! Each person is the hider and the seeker! Find each other in the town, then you can use any magic to inflict a single blow! Damage is irrelevant, as long as you hit them, you score a point!"

**/**

The air around Rogue suddenly shimmered and started to take shape with magic, making him glance around rapidly, "What is this?"

**/**

Gajeel's eyes widened as countless copies of him and the other participants appeared around him, "What the flippin' hell?!"

**/**

Lucy stared in shock at the screens, "Copies? They've all got the same faces!"

Gray shook his head, "Disgusting. I don't need to see one Gajeel, let alone that many…"

Somehow, said Dragon Slayer heard him and bellowed at the lacrima screen, **"I HEARD THAT, YOU ICY PRICK!" **

Erza sighed, "This is a problem. Even we will probably lose track of which Rogue and Gajeel are the real ones."

**/**

Chapati started talking again, "These are copies of everyone. If you attack a copy, you lose one point! Vanish into the silence! Like a black cat hunting in the night! The time limit is thirty minutes, and the team with the most points at the end wins! Now, "Hidden" START!"

The crowd roared as the game began.

**/**

Rogue smirked, "Good. This hunt wouldn't be any fun without some complications. Now…who should I sniff out first?" He started weaving through the crowd of copies, vanishing like smoke within seconds.

**/**

"Gee-hee. Sucks for the others that they can't smell like Dragon Slayers. Think I'll have a little fun with that Raven bastard first." Gajeel decided, cracking his knuckles. He took a deep whiff of air and found what he was looking for.

_It ain't Raven, but that one'll be a good warmup…Gee-hee…_

**/**

The stadium watched as the competitors blended into the crowd easily.

Natsu grinned, "We got this. Gajeel and Rogue's noses don't make mistakes."

"That's true." Mira agreed.

Ur watched the screens carefully, "If they act carelessly though, the enemy will be alerted to their presence."

**/**

Rogue heard a step on the cobblestone street and halted in place, listening carefully.

"Oh, Rogue…"

The Shadow Dragon whipped around to see Nullpudding jump at him, "Found ya!" His arm suddenly grew in size and spikes erupted from it before the Raven Tail mage jabbed him in the back.

Rogue snarled, "Damn you!"

"Easy!" Nullpudding cried in glee.

**/**

**Rogue: -1**

**Nullpudding: +1**

**/**

Yukino gasped, "Rogue!"

Freed stared in shock, "That guy's from Raven! But how did he know?! I didn't even know which Rogue was which until he turned around!"

"Ivan, you bastard…You've gained some impressive members, haven't you?" Makarov said angrily.

**/**

Rogue was teleported to a different part of the city, where he stood up and brushed himself off. _How did he know? I wasn't doing anything conspicuous…He must be able to track my magic somehow. I'll have to be more careful. _

He sniffed the air and started tracking another player, but before long, a fresh scent caught his attention.

Nullpudding walked up in the middle of the street with a grin.

"Back for more, are we?" Rogue growled.

"Hehe…" Nullpudding chuckled.

The Shadow Dragon lunged at him with incredible speed, bringing his fist back to punch his enemy's face in. _I'll get you, this time..._

**/**

On one of the four statues surrounding the stadium, a figure looked down on the urban battle. It smirked and hissed softly, "Is that all you've got...Rogue?"

**/**

Rogue felt a dark chill run down his spine, the likes of which he'd never felt before. _This is-!_

The sensation made him freeze, but more importantly, Nullpudding took full advantage of his hesitation and kicked him in the jaw.

The Shadow Dragon spat, "Shit…"

"What was that?" Nullpudding sneered, "We~ak! Hehehe!"

**/**

**Rogue: -2**

**Nullpudding: +2**

**/**

"What was that about?" Gray muttered.

Erza's eyes were narrowed, "He just froze up for a second. Did something happen?"

**/**

Yukino frowned at the lacrima vision of Rogue, "I don't get it, what happened?"

"Rogue…" Frosch whimpered.

**/**

Rogue's eyes whipped up to the area where he thought he'd felt the dark presence. _The statue?!_

But no one was there.

"…What the hell…" he muttered. _Whatever that was, it had an incredibly dark aura about it… _The Shadow Dragon shook his head. _I'll worry about it later. This comes first..._

He slipped into the shadows of an alleyway and passed to the next street. Rogue suddenly caught a scent and smirked when he found the source was Beth.

Before he could attack though, Yeager suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit her with a spiky plant, "Gotcha!"

Rogue was about to fly at him, but then he heard a familiar laugh, "Gee-hee! Iron Dragon's Guillotine!" Gajeel crashed into Yeager's back from above and slammed him into the ground.

**/**

**Beth: -1**

**Yeager: + - 0**

**Gajeel: +1**

**/**

Gajeel looked up at Rogue with bared fangs, "Hey there, little brother. You were too slow."

"Shut up." he growled.

An obnoxious laugh suddenly echoed out, "I'm gonna get two dragons!"

Nullpudding flew at them, but Gajeel leaped away while Rogue hissed, "Not twice, you bastard!"

He vanished for a moment, making Nullpudding glance around, "Where are you?!"

"Here!" Rogue flew out of the Raven Tail mage's shadow and punched him in the face, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Nullpudding grunted in pain and was teleported away.

**/**

**Rogue: -1**

**Nullpudding: + 1**

**/**

Frosch cheered, "Yay, Rogue!"

"Excellent, Gajeel!" Lily declared.

**/**

Chapati shouted in excitement, "Mr. Yajima was right! Rogue and Gajeel have jumped right to it! Gajeel's claimed first place!"

**/**

The crowd was amazed.

"Strong!"

"Is that really Fairy Tail?!"

Makarov smirked, "They haven't seen anything yet!"

**/**

Sting grinned, "That's more like it!"

"Go, Rogue!" Lucy cheered.

That said, Erza crossed her arms. "Nicely done, but it's not over yet. Don't get overconfident. That Raven Tail guy found them both easily."

**/**

The Shadow Dragon frowned as something cold touched his shoulder.

**/**

Gajeel looked up with wide eyes, "Snow?"

**/**

It was really snowing in the city. Jenny smiled and murmured into her mic, "That's Eve…"

**/**

Eve touched the ground, making snow fall from the sky with his magic as he sensed for magic power that would keep the other competitors warm. He smiled as he found his targets, "There you are!"

He sent a blizzard through the street and tagged Gajeel, Beth, Yeager, and Toby before he stopped his streak.

Black Steel snarled as he was teleported away, "Damn!"

Then Nullpudding jumped out of nowhere and punched Eve with his spiked fists, "Got you!" The Triman cried out in pain and crashed into a wall before being teleported away.

**/**

**Gajeel: + - 0**

**Beth: -2**

**Yeager: -1**

**Toby: -1**

**Eve: +4**

**Nullpudding: +2**

**/**

The crowd shouted as Jenny cheered, "Good job, Eve!"

"Eve just moved up to first place! But what's this?!"

**/**

Eve whipped around in shock as Nullpudding leaped after him once more, "Again!"

Eve was hit again and teleported away, but before Nullpudding could enjoy his victory, Gajeel slammed him in the face with an iron pillar, "Gotcha, you jawface bastard! Gee-hee!"

**/**

**Eve: +2**

**Nullpudding: +2**

**Gajeel: +1**

**/**

"Gajeel's back! This competition is heating up, with just ten minutes left! Elsewhere in the city, Toby, Beth, and Yeager are battling it out!"

**/**

The three said mages were about equal in strength, but not having much luck hitting each other.

But then Rogue flew in out of nowhere and hit all three with arms wrapped in darkness, "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" The attack sent the other mages flying, much to Rogue's satisfaction. If you judged satisfaction by how confident a smirk looked on someone's face.

**/**

**Rogue: +2**

**Beth: -3**

**Yeager: -2**

**Toby: -2**

**/**

Chapati yelled into his mic, "A surprise attack! Rogue just came back for first place! The Dark Dragons are at it again!"

**/**

Gray pumped his fist into the air, "That's it!"

"Keep it up, Rogue!" Lucy cheered.

Natsu grinned, "They're tearing the place up!"

**/**

Makarov roared with laughter, "You see that?! Who's last place, you fools!"

Fairy Tail and the crowd screamed with excitement.

**/**

Yajima nodded with a smile, "I told you so."

"They're strong..!" Jenny exclaimed.

**/**

In the last five minutes, Beth managed to overpower Yeager at last, while Toby had a fight with Eve that ended with the doggish man scoring a point, but Eve quickly came back and hit Nullpudding when the Raven Tail mage came in for a third helping.

**/**

**Beth: -2**

**Yeager: -3**

**Toby: -1**

**Eve: +2**

**Nullpudding: +1**

**/**

Rogue tch'd as Nullpudding came back in lashed out at him, forcing the Shadow Dragon to dodge. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Nullpudding leaped aside and made Rogue hit a copy, deducting a point and teleporting him away. Rogue hissed in frustration, "Dammit…" _I've been having trouble focusing ever since I felt that demonic aura from before..._

**/**

**Rogue: +1**

**/**

Elsewhere, Gajeel pulverized Yeager with a vicious punch, while Eve got into the top four with another score on Beth.

**/**

**Gajeel: +2**

**Yeager: -4**

**Eve: +3**

**Beth: -3**

**/**

"The rankings keep changing over and over! Eve's back at the top, while Gajeel, Rogue, and Nullpudding are neck and neck for the runner up placements!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima frowned, "But where is Rufus? He hasn't moved at all this whole time…"

**/**

On the highest building in the town, there was a sigh, "This is too simple."

**/**

Chapati blinked at the person on the building, "Wh-what is..?!"

**/**

Natsu stared up in shock at the man, "That's that Rufus guy!"

The expressions around him matched his own stunned face. Lucy gasped, "What's he doing way up there?!"

"Rogue! Up! Look up!" Sting shouted.

**/**

Rufus smiled, his voice cool and even, "I remember it…everyone's heartbeats, footsteps, and the qualities of their magic..I remember it all…"

He brought his hands up and put two fingers to his forehead on either side with a murmur, "Memory Make…"

The entire colosseum was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of shadow that turned the light of day to night.

**/**

Gray's eyes widened, "Molding magic?!"

"Memory Make…What an ancient spell…" Ur whispered.

Lyon stared at Rufus uneasily, "What is that stance?"

**/**

As the darkness enveloped the town, Rogue's body started glowing lightly as he looked up at Rufus with alarm. _What is this?! _

**/**

Everyone in the town froze as Rufus threw his arms up with a singing cry, "Starfall Night!"

Seven rays of golden light flew from his body and into the sky, diving down with incredible speed into the town.

**/**

Rogue grunted as one of the rays impacted his body.

**/**

Eve, Toby, Beth, and Yeager were also hit. They were simply struck too quickly to have a chance at dodging the lightning-fast rays.

**/**

Nullpudding dodged quickly in the middle of a battle with Gajeel, whose arm was turned into a sword.

Black Steel leaped aside with a growl, "Nice try!"

The ray of light almost hit the ground, then suddenly whipped back in a ninety degree angle and came at him again. Gajeel's eyes widened in shock, "What the devil?! Homing?!"

He roared in pain as the ray slammed into him.

**/**

**Rufus: +6**

**Gajeel: +1**

**Rogue: + - 0**

**Eve: +2**

**Toby: -2**

**Beth: -4**

**Yeager: -5**

**/**

In the stands, while the stadium watched in utter shock, Mavis narrowed her eyes.

The crowd practically screamed as Chapati stammered, "H-he got them in one shot! In a flash, he skyrocketed straight to first place! That's Rufus! That's Sabertooth!"

**/**

Gray whispered in shock, "No way…"

"The rumors were true..what incredible power..!" Lyon managed, completely stunned.

Ur shook her head, "Such skill..without even taking so much as a step…Truly impressive."

**/**

Rufus shrugged disconcertedly, "Spectators and game staff…This isn't an interesting competition. I had no need to hide at all. Even if they found me, their attacks would miss. All they could aim for would be the memory of me…"

**/**

Gajeel snarled angrily on the ground and leaped upwards at the Sabertooth mage, "Oh, yeah?! Let's put that to the test!"

He took a deep breath and bellowed, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" The iron blade breath completely destroyed the top of the building, but to Gajeel's shock, Rufus was nowhere to be found.

Just a fuzzy image of the elusive man remained.

He landed on the ground and stared back up at the spot, recoiling slightly when Rufus reappeared on the destroyed rooftop with a smirk, "I told you, you cannot hit me."

Rogue ran up to Gajeel's side and growled, "Let's get him together."

Black Steel growled in agreement and they both lunged towards Rufus, but suddenly a shadow appeared above them. The brothers managed to look up before Nullpudding crashed his fists into them and crushed the Dark Dragons into the ground with a triumphant yell, "Gotcha, dragons!"

**/**

**Rogue: -1**

**Gajeel: + - 0**

**Nullpudding: +3**

**/**

The timer hit zero and the city disappeared as Chapati called out, "That's it! Time's up! The final scores are on the screen!"

**/**

**1st. Rufus: +6 (10pt.)**

**2nd. Nullpudding: +3 (8pt.)**

**3rd. Eve: +2 (6pt.)**

**4th. Gajeel: + - 0 (4pt.)**

**5th. Rogue: -1 (3pt.)**

**6th. Toby: -2 (2pt.)**

**7th. Beth: -4 (1pt.)**

**8th. Yeager: -5 (0pt.)**

**/**

Gajeel swore loudly and glared at the Raven Tail mage, "You son of a…"

"Too bad, Gajeel." Nullpudding said with a smirk.

Rogue hissed in frustration, "Dammit, how the hell did it turn out like this.."

**/**

Lamia Scale's Master Oobaba was furious, "What the hell are you doing, Toby?!"

Ren nodded with a smile, "Pretty good. Third place ain't bad." "As expected of Eve." Hibiki remarked.

**/**

The Mermaid Heel team wasn't upset, but they weren't thrilled.

A woman with a spiderweb suit sighed, "Not a very good start."

"Beth did her best!" laughed her shorter, chubby teammate.

**/**

Minerva smirked, "Of course Rufus won. If he were really in a fighting mood, he could have left them all stuttering like the idiots they are."

"Yet a single strike for victory was much more beautiful." argued her gray-haired teammate.

Orga shrugged, "No one cares much for how beautiful a victory is except for you, Rustyrose."

Zancrow said nothing. _Not bad, Dragon Slayers. But still nowhere near good enough._

**/**

"Fairy Tail put up quite a fight, but it seems those last few minutes put them a little lower in the rankings than they're happy with!" Chapati said.

Yajima sighed, "It was impressive, but you can't let your guard down with competitors like Rufus in these games."

"Yay, Eve took third!" Jenny cheered.

**/**

Gajeel walked right past his teammates, still bristling with fury.

Laxus patted his shoulder as he passed, "Easy. You'll get another shot at them."

"Don't patronize me, Dreyar. Not unless you wanna get your ass kicked first." Black Steel snarled. He walked off the field, not giving a damn if it was potentially against the rules. As he left the stadium, Gajeel slammed his fist into the wall and cracked the stone.

_Raven Tail..and Sabertooth…I'll get you for that…_

**/**

Rogue was also frustrated, his eyes covered by his black hair as he joined his teammates.

Lucy smiled at him apologetically, "There's always next time."

"It's fine. We're just getting started." Erza murmured.

Rogue shook his head and also walked off. He wasn't so concerned about the game as he was about what he'd felt earlier.

_Just what in the hell did that demonic aura come from?!_

**/**

Chapati cleared his throat, "Now, we continue to the battle portion! A member from each team will fight in a single match, but it'll be one on one, not a tournament style! And I've just received the match ups for the first day!"

"I hope they're interesting." Yajima said.

Jenny got a slip of paper and glanced at Chapati, "Do you mind if I announce the first fight?"

The man shook his head, "Not at all!"

Jenny smiled and looked at the paper, talking into the mic as she read, "The first battle in the Grand Magic Games will be between Fairy Tail A Team's Lucy Heartfilia, and Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

The crowd cheered in anticipation.

**/**

Lucy swallowed nervously, "I'm first?"

She looked over at the Raven Tail team, where a woman with long red hair smiled creepily at her with a soft whisper, "Oh, blondie…"


	23. Lucy vs Flare

**Nice, big chapter here full of fighting! And I'm just getting warmed up! Please review and tell me what you think! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 23: Lucy vs Flare_

"Let's get started with the first battle of the first day! From Fairy Tail A Team, it's Lucy Heartfilia! And from Raven Tail, Flare Corona!" Chapati announced as the crowd roared.

**/**

Erza put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't let your guard down. This is Raven Tail we're talking about. Just because they're an official guild now doesn't mean they'll play by the rules."

Lucy nodded, "I got it…"

Sting grinned, "Don't be so nervous, you'll do great! Show em' they can't mess with us like before!"

She smiled at him wryly, "Don't I get a kiss for good luck? It's kind of tradition, isn't it?"

"I can't imagine you needing luck, but what the heck." Sting leaned down and kissed her lightly, then pulled away and rolled his eyes as the crowd made suggestive whistles and shouts, "Oh, you just wanted that!"

Lucy laughed and walked to the field, "Thank you, Sting!"

The White Dragon glanced around and saw Minerva watching them curiously. He narrowed his eyes, "What's with you?"

Minerva smiled innocently, "Oh, nothing…"

Sting eyed her for a moment more, then looked away. _I don't think I like the way she was looking at us like that…_

**/**

Lucy met Flare and the Pumpkin Man in the center of the arena.

The red-head was swaying her head from side to side and smiling darkly while she chanted, "Blonde-blondie…"

"I'm not losing to you!" Lucy declared.

**/**

Mavis watched the girls approach each other with a frown.

Romeo glanced at her, "What's wrong, Master?"

"What could Raven Tail be here for?" she wondered.

Makarov shook his fist, "They obviously want to humiliate us! Annoying pricks!"

Mavis shook her head, "No..never mind, it's not important…"

**/**

Chapati turned to Yajima, "I heard the Masters of these guilds are father and son, Mr. Yajima."

"It doesn't matter if they're blood or not. They belong to different guilds." the old man explained.

Chapati nodded, "From here on, the whole field will be the battle area, so all other teams will have to go to their waiting areas. Please leave the arena now."

**/**

While the teams left, the Pumpkin Man brought the girls together, "Listen up! Your time limit is thirty minutes, and if one of you becomes unable to continue, then the other person wins. Points will be distributed like so."

**/**

**Win: 10pt.**

**Lose: 0pt.**

**Draw: 5pt. (Both Teams)**

**/**

The Pumpkin Man backed away a little, "I'll be the referee, so with that, let the first match begin!" The crowd roared as the gong for the timer rang out.

Lucy whipped out a key, "Here I come, little raven! Gate of the bull, I open thee! Taurus!"

The huge bull appeared and swung his axe at Flare, who leaped away easily with a smirk.

**/**

"Oh, Celestial Spirit Magic! And one of the Twelve Zodiac Gates, at that!" Chapati said excitedly.

**/**

Lucy glared after Flare and pulled out another key, "Gemini!" The twins appeared as their master spoke quickly, "Transform into Yukino, just like we practiced!"

"Yes!" Gold light enveloped the blue creatures and in a puff of smoke, a copy of Yukino stood next to Lucy in her typical clothing.

Gemini pulled out a key, "Scorpio!"

The scorpion man appeared and fired a tornado of sand at Flare, "Sandbuster!"

Flare laughed and her hair suddenly grew and blew the sand away.

**/**

Gray was stunned, "What the- she guarded with her _hair?!" _"The hell kinda magic is that?" Sting muttered.

**/**

Lucy wasn't' fazed by Flare's defense, "Taurus! Scorpio! Unison Raid!"

"Moo, perfect! Suction!" the bull grunted.

Scorpio fired another blast of sand with a yell, "We are! Get em' Taurus!"

The sand curled around the axe as Taurus leaped after Flare and slammed the attack into the ground before her, "Sandstorm Axe Aldebaran!"

Flare shrieked as she was sent flying by the massive attack.

**/**

In the stands, Bisca was amazed, "She's got _three_ Zodiac gates out at once?!"

Alzack shook his head, "No, she's maintaining Taurus and Gemini, but Gemini is maintaining Scorpio. It's chain magic!"

"Cool!" Asuka squealed.

Jet frowned, "If Gemini can turn into someone else, why not someone super strong like Ur or Laxus?"

Yukino shook her head, "No, they're both out of range. The only reason Gemini can transform into me is because I'm also a Celestial Spirit mage. If I weren't, then the distance between us would make it impossible for Gemini to become me."

"In addition, Gemini can only take the form of someone whose power is equal to Lucy's." Mavis explained. "Unfortunately, that means that even if they were in range, Gemini could not take the form of Laxus or Ur. But that said, I don't think she'll need them."

The ghost girl smiled, "That girl is really impressive. She can definitely win this battle."

**/**

Flare spat sand out in anger, "Blondie..! Hair Shower-Wolf Fang!" Her hair extended and transformed into a roaring red wolf, who lunged at Lucy.

Taurus disappeared and Lucy pulled out another key, "Gate of the crab, I open thee! Cancer!"

Cancer appeared and cut the wolf to ribbons before also disappearing with his catch phrase, "Nice cut- ebi!"

**/**

The Lamia Scale team watched in amazement.

"Her hair became a wolf!" Chelia exclaimed.

Yuuka raised a huge eyebrow, "Her hair…"

"Her hair! That long, lush, red hair!" Toby ranted.

Jura, all too aware of his lack of hair, growled irritably, "Silence."

**/**

Flare stared in shock at her destroyed wolf, "M-my hair! Why you..YOU!" She shrieked and drilled her hair into the ground.

Gemini pulled out another key, "I won't let that happen! Libra!"

Said spirit appeared waving her scales. Lucy looked to the ground as Flare's hair burst up and tried to wrap around her ankles, but Gemini shouted, "Libra, make the target heavier!"

"Yes!" Libra wove her scales through the air and then both Flare and her hair slammed into the ground, stunning her for a moment.

Lucy quickly got away and pulled out another key, "Capricorn!"

The goat spirit lunged forward as Libra vanished and released Flare, then battered at the woman with a fierce series of kicks and sent her flying before he also disappeared.

Flare struggled to her feet gasping in fury, "You little..!"

**/**

The crowd was yelling with excitement as Chapati riled them on, "Lucy's attacks are relentless! Flare can't keep up!"

"That girl…she's improved so much. You can't even compare her to what she was like seven years ago." Yajima said with a smile.

Jenny nodded, "She's definitely dominating this battle."

**/**

Gray pumped a fist into the air, "That's it! Sic it to em' Lucy!"

"You're doing great!" Sting yelled.

Erza was smiling, but kept being cautious, "Don't let your guard down. She may be on top now, but these people were originally dark mages. I can't imagine they'll lose without trying some underhanded tactic…"

**/**

Flare launched her hair into the ground again and this time connected, yanking both Lucy and Gemini into the air and dragging them around the field at high speed. She slammed them into the ground with a triumphant shout, "Take that! My hair moves however I want it to!"

"Yeah?! Well, so does my Flueve d'etoiles!" Lucy took out her whip and the blue river of stars caught Flare's wrist.

Gemini pulled out another key, "And while you can't move..! Pisces!"

The two fish spirits appeared and crashed into Flare, sending her flying again with a scream of pain.

Lucy was released, but she flinched as she tried to stand up. Her boots were torn apart, and her ankles hurt. Gemini, still in Yukino's form, managed to sit up and gasp, "I need a break. Call me back in a bit."

Lucy nodded, "Okay, thanks Gemini!" Said spirit vanished in a puff of smoke.

Flare stared at Lucy in shock, "My hair..that's all the damage it did?! Blondie..!"

Her hair drilled back into the ground and Lucy tensed, but frowned when the attack didn't come. She glanced at Flare, who smiled evilly and pointed towards the stands. Lucy looked over and realized she was pointing at her guild members. A wisp of red hair was flicking by Asuka's head, just small enough to avoid being noticed.

Lucy shrieked, "Asuka-Mmf!" Flare's hair covered her mouth and slammed her into the ground.

The woman smirked in satisfaction, "Don't say a word, don't move a muscle..or you know what will happen. Stupid blonde."

Lucy gritted her teeth in frustration. _Bitch! _The hair curled and cracked into Lucy like a bullwhip. All Lucy could do was brace herself for the blow as Flare laughed maniacally.

**/**

Erza noticed the change and shouted, "Lucy, what's wrong?!"

"She was on top just a moment ago!" Gray yelled.

Sting stared at her, "Lucy, what just…"

**/**

Chapati was a little surprised, "What's going on here? Lucy, who was handling Flare with ease earlier has suddenly lost her momentum!"

**/**

Lucy glanced up at Asuka, who shouted at her, "Come on, Lucy!" The strand of hair was still waving teasingly by the girl, so Lucy looked away.

She shrieked as Flare cracked her back with the same bullwhip attack. _I can't..Even though these guys hurt Wendy..and frustrated Gajeel and Rogue…Sorry, I can't let Asuka get hurt…_

She tried not to cry and muttered, "I-I surend-guh!"

Flare wrapped her hair around Lucy's mouth again with a hiss, "Who said you could speak?!" Her hair spread out Lucy's arms and legs, then started jabbing her cruelly, "You don't get to give up! I'm going to pay you back for hitting me so much! The only thing I want to hear from you are screams!"

Flare tilted her head, "Now, what should I do first..should I strip you in front of all these people..? No, too cliche. I know, I'll brand the Raven Tail crest on you!"

Lucy stared in horror at the steaming brand as it slowly approached her.

Flare smiled cruelly, "Now, where to put it..Ah, your hand! I'll put it over your Fairy Tail mark!"

"No, please don't!" Lucy cried.

Flare slapped her face with the bullwhip attack, "I told you to shut it!"

**/**

Sting bristled and growled, "She wouldn't dare…"

"Remain calm, Sting." Erza ordered, putting a hand on his shoulder to restrain him in case he jumped in.

The White Dragon looked ready to hit the ground and wreak havoc, but Gray was also getting riled up, "If the Raven bitch actually brands her, I don't care what you say Erza. We'll take her out on the spot."

Erza's eyes darkened, "Assuming she actually pulls it off, do what you want."

**/**

Mira covered her eyes, "I can't watch!"

Laxus looked away uneasily, then frowned, "Hey, where the hell is Natsu?"

"He's not here…" Ur said with a confused blink.

**/**

Natsu was racing though the stands towards his guild, "I heard what you said! Even if the others didn't, I heard it! Lucy called for Asuka!"

He saw the hair and grabbed it, yanking it back with enough force to slam Flare's head into the ground on the other side of the strands before the hair was torn in half.

His guild mates stared at him in shock, "Natsu?!"

Happy noticed the hair and gasped, "That's..!"

Bisca picked up Asuka quickly while Alzack stared around the ground for any more strands of Flare's red hair.

Natsu shouted at the arena, "Lucy, get em'!"

**/**

Flare stared up at Natsu in shock, "How?!"

_Thank you, Natsu! _Lucy staggered to her feet after Flare had fallen from Natsu's outside retaliation. "Gemini!" The twin spirits appeared again and crashed into Flare, forcing her back to the ground as she tried to stand up.

Gemini turned back into Yukino as Lucy tore off the hair clinging to her wrists and ankles, "We're using that!"

"We may not be able to. We haven't recovered all of our magic power from the last fight." Gemini warned.

Lucy shook her head, "We have to try!" They stood back to back and clasped their hands together, bodies glowing gold with magic power.

**/**

Sting grinned, "Here it comes! That's what she and Yukino were talking about practicing!"

"Lucy can do something like that?!" Gray was stunned.

Erza nodded with a smile, "If that connects, it's all over for Raven Tail."

**/**

Lucy and Gemini started chanting together, _"Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven…All the stars, far and wide…Show me thy appearance…with such shine. O Tetrabiblos…I am the ruler of the stars…Aspect become complete…Open thy malevolent gate. O 88 Stars of the heaven…Shine!" _

A field of stars brimming with massive power surrounded Flare as Lucy and Gemini shouted in unison, "Uranometria!"

Flare shrieked in fear as the stars glowed menacingly, preparing to devastate her.

Then, quite simply, the stars vanished.

Gemini gasped and vanished into light. Lucy froze, "H-huh..?"

Flare stared at her in shock, then noticed movement from her team. She grinned in delight. _Obra! You did this! _

Lucy felt all her strength leave her body and she started to collapse. _What just..The spell vanished…_

**/**

Her team was stunned. Sting roared, _"Lucy!"_

"What the-what just happened?!" Gray shouted.

Erza narrowed her eyes darkly, "Just now, that was…"

**/**

In the stands, Natsu had noticed too and growled, "Master, that was…"

Mavis nodded, her usually bright eyes clouded slightly with anger, "Outside interference."

"Damn you, Ivan…" Makarov breathed.

**/**

Lucy felt like she was falling in slow motion. _My power was..! This is what happened to Wendy! Raven Tail must have acted on the outside…I don't have any power left, but..I'm not losing! _

She managed to stagger and regain her footing, panting for breath.

Flare stared at her and gritted her teeth angrily, "You can still stand?! Give up, you're out of power! Just pass out nice and quick, and I won't hurt you anymore."

"Forget it…" Lucy gasped.

The red head blinked stood up, her hair flicking back and forth menacingly, "What did you just say blondie..?!"

Lucy glared at her fiercely, "After what you guys did to Wendy..and how you frustrated Gajeel and Rogue..there's no way I could lose to you!"

Flare screeched angrily, "Go to hell, then!" Her hair reared back to strike Lucy down, but just then the timer hit zero.

The Pumpkin Man called out, "Times up! It's a draw!"

Ignoring him, Flare lashed out anyways, but she was stopped by a laser that cut her hair in half.

She whipped her head up to see Sting glaring down at her from the Fairy Tail A Team area, his open mouth steaming. The White Dragon did not look friendly.

**/**

Yajima spoke slowly into his mic, "The match is over, miss. If you attempt another attack, we won't stop Fairy Tail from retaliating."

"I-isn't outside fighting against the rules, Mr. Yajima?" Jenny asked.

Yajima's eyes were dark. He knew what Raven Tail had pulled.

**/**

Flare glared up at the old man, but said nothing.

Sting leaped down to the ground and walked over, snarling at the Raven Tail woman, "Try that again, and I'll put a hole through your body."

Flare hissed angrily and stomped off the field in frustration.

Lucy looked like she was about to fall over, so Sting put an arm around her and helped her walk off the field while Chapati wrapped up the match, "Quite an intense fight, and a fierce confrontation at the end! It's a draw, so both Fairy Tail and Raven Tail earn five points!"

The crowd cheered loudly.

**/**

Sting took Lucy straight to the infirmary and set her down on a bed next to Wendy. Porlysuca wrapped some of her more serious injuries, but thankfully, none were particularly bad.

ucy sighed as the rest of her team walked in, "Sorry guys. Even after what happened with the others, I still couldn't win…"

Gray raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? Most people drop dead after losing their magic power like that, but you kept standing! You got us five points!"

"You were superb. Had Raven not interfered when they did, you would have easily defeated her." Erza put in.

Lucy smiled a little, "Thanks…"

The door opened again and in came Rogue and Gajeel from wherever they had been sulking. Lucy sat up, but they didn't approach.

Then Gajeel walked over, ruffled her hair awkwardly, and walked out the door, muttering some words over his shoulder, "Thanks for the save, Lucy."

She stared after him. It wasn't often Gajeel called ANYONE by their real name, let alone praise them.

Rogue nodded in her direction, "That was well done, Lucy. Thanks for standing up for us."

"S-sure…" Lucy stammered, not really sure how to respond to them.

Sting made her lay back down and grinned, "Take it easy for a bit. I'll come by later."

"Okay…" Lucy closed her eyes, falling asleep quickly.

Porlysuca then proceeded to kick her teammates out of the room.

**/**

When they got back to the waiting room, Ren from Blue Pegasus was fighting against Arania from Mermaid Heel. They faced off in the center of the stadium, sizing each other up.

Ren smirked, "You've improved since last year, Arania."

"Is it okay for a for a man from Blue Pegasus to hit a woman, Ren?" Arania giggled.

**/**

Chapati spoke into his mic, "Both opponents seem to be planning something!"

Jenny cheered, "Good luck, Ren! Sherry is cheering you on from the stands!"

**/**

The crowd yelled and whistled suggestively at Jenny's cheer.

Ren glanced up at her with a blush on his face, but before he could say anything, Arania hit him with a web attack, "You're full of openings, Ren!"

**/**

In the stands, Sherry called to him, "What are you doing Ren?! Do your best!"

The Lamia Scale Master Oobaba spun a finger at her, "Don't cheer for the enemy!"

"But Oobaba, they _are_ engaged…" another member defended.

Oobaba turned on him with a frown, "Shut up. Spin!" The man started spinning rapidly and was silenced.

**/**

Ren tore free of the webbing and glared up at the Lamia Scale guild, "We aren't engaged! We just can't get away from each other is all!"

"That's terrible!" Sherry pouted.

Arania launched another attack, but Ren easily dodged it, ranting as he went, "It's annoying how you're always stuck to me..but I just can't lose in front of you!"

**/**

More cheering from the crowd made Sherry swoon, "Oh, Ren…"

Yuuka rolled his eyes, "Sherry fell for a pain in the ass."

"But that's love!" Chelia declared.

**/**

Ren adopted a battle pose and started charging magic power. As Arania fired her webs again, he released a cyclone from his palms that blew the Mermaid Heel mage away. "Aerial Phose!"

The Mermaid Heel mage crashed to the ground and didn't get up.

**/**

"That's it! It's Ren's victory! Blue Pegasus gets ten points! Mermaid Heel gets zero points!"

"Yay! Ren won!" Jenny cheered.

**/**

Arania sat up in dismay, "I let my guard down…"

**/**

Gray smirked at the final attack, "Well, he got way stronger in the last seven years, didn't he?"

"I'm not interested." Rogue said flatly.

Sting shrugged, "He's not bad, but if that's all they got, Pegasus has already lost."

Erza stared at him, "Don't forget Ichiya. His personality is..challenging, but he's Blue Pegasus's strongest wizard, no question."

The White Dragon snorted, "Maybe. I wanna know what the deal is with the rabbit. Who the hell wears that outfit around in public?"

"Who the hell wears something like that anywhere?" Gray asked.

Sting tapped his shoulder and pointed at Erza when she wasn't looking. Gray's eyes widened in realization, "Oh, yeah…"

**/**

"Now for the third battle of day one! From Quatro Cerberus, it's War Cry! Going up against Sabertooth's Rustyrose!"

As the gray-haired mage walked onto the field, the crowd screamed in excitement. "Listen to those cheers! The crowd loves him!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

Lily watched the Sabertooth mage intently, "Finally, we get to see someone from Sabertooth in action."

"You think he's as strong as that masked ball guy?" Happy asked.

Lector flicked his tail impatiently, "Let's find out. He'll be strong, for sure."

Frosch nodded, "Fro thinks so too!"

"Is that all you ever say?" Romeo asked.

Frosch pulled a stick from somewhere and poked him in the eye with it.

"Ow!" Romeo protested.

Yukino smiled, "Frosch, be nice."

The green exceed sat back down, "Okay, Yukino!"

Yukino whispered into Romeo's ear, "She's a little sensitive."

"So she pokes me with a stick? Where does she keep that thing, anyway?!" he demanded.

To Frosch's credit and Romeo's disdain, no one knew the answer to that particular question.

**/**

Natsu eyed Rustyrose as he approached War Cry, "What kind of magic do you use, eh?"

Gajeel tch'd, "Why don't you shaddup and find out."

"Watch closely. This is the guild we have to surpass." Ur instructed.

**/**

"The third match of day one! START!"

The bell gonged and the crowd cheered. Rustyrose watched War Cry closely. The Quatro Cerberus man growled at him.

Unexpectedly, the Sabertooth mage laughed, "What is that foul noise? It's not beautiful at all."

His words seemed to make War Cry tear up, as the man cried loudly.

**/**

"There it is! War Cry's Tear Magic!"

**/**

Rogue blinked in surprise, "What the..?"

"He cried!" Gray exclaimed, effectively confounded.

Erza stared, "Tear Magic?"

Sting looked guarded, "What does it do?"

**/**

As War Cry, uh…cried, Rustyrose held his hands out to either side and shook his head, "Grotesque! You are truly hideous sir, if such a sound can come from that dirty thing you call a mouth. I am utterly horrified I must face an opponent as ugly as you!"

**/**

Gajeel decided rather quickly he hated Rustyrose's guts, "What a snobbish drama queen."

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Are they going to talk each other to death?"

"Don't be distracted…" Ur said, a little hesitant.

Mira glanced at her sideways, "But they're…"

Natsu had one eye open, only half interested now. _Is this really the guild that Zancrow decided to join? Neither one of the guys we've seen so far seem to be people he'd team up with._

**/**

War Cry continued to cry, tears pouring from his eyes as he roared at Rustyrose, "The more I cry, the stronger I get!"

He lunged at the Sabertooth mage, but Rustyrose smirked, tapping his glasses with his left hand and throwing his right up in the air. A huge monster suddenly materialized out of thin air and crushed War Cry into the ground, creating a crater beneath him.

**/**

Sting recoiled, "Wha- what the hell is that?!"

"Was that Summoning Magic?!" Gray asked, shocked.

Erza stared in amazement, "He didn't even take a step..!"

**/**

Natsu was paying attention now, utterly stunned at how quickly Rustyrose had disposed of War Cry. The rest of his team was more attentive as well. Even Laxus had an eyebrow raised, thoroughly impressed.

**/**

Happy and Frosch's eyes almost popped out of their heads, "One..attack…"

Lily stared at the beast that had crushed War Cry before it faded away, "What was that?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Lector muttered, his tail bristling.

**/**

"The match is all over! Unbelievably fast! Rustyrose's Arc of Embodiment created War Cry's destruction!"

**/**

The crowd cheered, but a cloaked man narrowed his eyes, "Arc..? Like Ultear, then…"

**/**

Chapati was ecstatic, "He's strong! Incredibly strong! The winner is Rustyrose from Sabertooth! They earn ten points! A perfect day!"

Rustyrose walked off the stadium, waving his hands to the crowd like a king.

**/**

Orga smirked, "He talks too much. With his magic power, he could have blown that dog away before he even took a step."

"If you remember as I do, it isn't Rustyrose's way to not make a spectacle of his battles. Even if they are…unmemorable." Rufus murmured.

Minerva laughed lightly with a satisfied look, "And with that, it's a total victory for Sabertooth."

Zancrow said nothing, not particularly interested in much of it.

**/**

Chapati spoke into his mic, "Alright, with that, it's time for the final match of the first day! A clash between the last two remaining teams, Fairy Tail B Team, and Lamia Scale!"

"Seven years ago, these two guilds were about equal in talent. Who's fighting, Chapati?" Jenny asked.

Chapati looked over the list and paled, "Uh..th-this is…"

Yajima glanced at the paper and widened his eyes in surprise, "The staff set up a match like this?!"

"But that's dangerous, isn't it?!" Jenny gasped.

Chapati stuttered, "Th-the final match is..between the Wizard Saints..Ur Milkovich and Jura Neekis!"

**/**

Makarov was shocked, "WHAT?! Do they want a catastrophe or something?!"

Macao sweated nervously, "Putting those two against each other on the first day..?"

"Putting those two against each other at all!" Wakaba corrected.

Mavis looked concerned, "This isn't good…Wizard Saints, being as powerful as they are, can't help getting serious if they fight opponents equal in strength…Do they have the restraint to hold back, Third Master?"

Makarov gulped, "W-well…"

Lisanna glanced at him uneasily, "If they go all out and accidentally hit the spectators…"

"I don't even want to think about that!" Elfman decided.

**/**

Ur smiled in anticipation, _"Jura…"_

Her teammates took a few steps away from her as a cold mist filled the room. The Wizard Saint looked across the field at her opponent.

Jura looked ecstatic, a fierce smile on his face. He nodded at her and turned to walk to the stadium.

Ur mirrored him, leaving the waiting room. Her teammates didn't relax until the frigid air followed her.

Laxus watched the two Wizard Saints approach each other in the arena, "Let's see what the real monsters can do…"

"This could get dangerous if they really go all out…" Mira said nervously.

Gajeel glanced at her, "Ur, I can believe, but is the cue ball really that strong?"

Natsu nodded, "Don't underestimate a Wizard Saint. Ever. You'll die."

**/**

She met Jura in the middle of the stadium, which had gone completely silence. The tension in the air was like watching clouds roll in before a lightning storm began.

The Pumpkin Man stood to the side and gave instructions, "Same rules as the other fights! You can use any magic and the battle continues until one of you loses or time runs out."

Ur nodded, "Okay. You should get off the battlefield now."

Pumpkin Man blinked, "Huh?"

"It's not safe here, friend. A clash between Wizard Saints is on par with a cataclysm." Jura rumbled.

Pumpkin Man scratched his head and then ran off the field.

**/**

Chapati waited until he was gone before he started the match, "The final battle of day one, Ur versus Jura, START!"

**/**

Jura nodded at his fellow Wizard Saint, "Personally, I want Fairy Tail to do well…" The earth rumbled beneath his feet as the tall man released his aura. He smiled fiercely, "But I've been looking forward to this for years. I'm not holding back, Ur. I can finally let loose…"

"I won't hold back either." she answered with a voice smooth as silk.

The air went cold with freezing mist as Ur let her own magic aura loose, the usually bright eyes dark with a lust for battle, "I haven't felt my blood run so cold in years…"


	24. Ur vs Jura

**Easily one of the best fights I've ever created, if I do say so myself. An incredible stroke of genius hit me the other day and wouldn't let me focus until I wrote it down. I won't say anything else, find out for yourself! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 24: Ur vs Jura_

Gray watched his teacher face off against Jura with concern, "Ur…"

"To think those two would fight it out on the very first day…" Rogue mused.

Erza stared at the arena intently, "They must have great confidence the future battles will be very intense if they put them first. If I were planning a tournament, I'd put the big guns last."

**/**

"Jura…" Chelia whimpered.

Lyon looked tense. _It's been seven years, Ur. Show me if the gap between you and me has changed…_

**/**

"The clash of the titans! The Wizard Saints! The battle is about to begin!"

The crowd roared in excitement.

**/**

Jura nodded, "Ladies first."

Ur settled into her fighting pose as she smirked, "Don't regret that courtesy later! Ice Make: Rose Garden!"

A huge chain of giant frozen flowers approached Jura, but he thrust his hand forward with a bellow, "Rockiron Pillars!" Several giant pillars of rock erupted from the ground and crashed into the oncoming ice like snakes, stopping the attack in it's tracks.

Jura moved his hand up and the ground beneath Ur turned into another rock pillar that lifted her high up. As she caught her balance, Jura sent two more pillars at her from both sides.

Ur smirked and held her hands out towards the incoming masses of rock, hitting them with thin spears of ice connected to her hands. The stone pillars stopped dead and were frozen solid as she poured her magic into them and constricted their movements. At the same time, the pillar beneath her also froze and became immobile.

Jura grinned, "As expected, such basic attacks have no effect on you."

"You should have assumed that from the start. I've got the high ground now." Ur replied smoothly.

**/**

In the stands, Romeo blanched, "Th-that was a _basic _attack?!"

Makarov nodded, "Do you understand why this is such a dangerous match? They're just playing with each other right now, but they'll tire of that quickly. It's not the way of the Wizard Saint to hold back in battle against another of the same rank."

Levy glanced at him anxiously, "What happens when they get serious?"

Makarov did not answer her.

**/**

Ur looked down on Jura from the high pillar, "Let's see if your defense is as good as your offense."

The frozen rocks suspended at her sides cracked and shattered into large chunks that she held up in the air with her magic power, turning the jagged pieces into a mass of frozen roses. Pointing at Jura, she cried, "Comet Rosen!"

The frozen, rose-shaped boulders hailed down on Jura, who clapped his hands together, "Rock Mountain!" A giant man of earth burst from the ground and shielded him with it's body as the icy stones pelted into it and left countless impact craters.

The giant crumbled away around Jura, who looked up at Ur with a grin of delight, "Impressive."

She raised an eyebrow, "For now. I'm just getting the air chilled…Now let's see you handle a bitter cold." Ur crouched on the rock pillar and placed her hand on it, "Rose Vine!"

Thorn-covered vines of ice tore from the sides of the pillar and flew down at Jura like tentacles, but he held his hands up, "Rockiron Wall!"

The vines crashed into a wall of solid rock that erupted from the ground, but Ur moved her finger in a circle and one of the vines curled around the wall and struck Jura in the side, sending him skidding back.

**/**

Chelia cried in alarm, "Jura!"

"He's fine. A scrape like that isn't nearly enough." Lyon assured.

**/**

In fact, he was totally unfazed and shattered his rock wall into a multitude of small cubes which he sent flying towards Ur.

She held her hands out and shouted, "Lotus Shield!" A huge flower sprouted from the rock pillar and blocked the oncoming cubes easily.

Jura smirked, "I'll need a bigger rock for something like that." He pressed his hand to the ground and bellowed, "Rockiron Fist!" A huge, gauntleted fist of stone raced towards Ur.

She leaped off the pillar and onto the fist's arm as it crushed the ice shield and the tower of frozen rock, blowing them to smithereens.

Jura flicked two fingers up, "Got you!" The fist of rock folded in on itself and surrounded Ur. Clapping his hands together, he shouted, "Supreme King's Rock Crush!"

The outer layer of rock exploded and shook the earth, making the crowds scream.

**/**

"Ur!" Mira shouted.

Gajeel frowned, "Did she get hit?"

"No. Too easy." Laxus grunted.

**/**

The inside of her stone prison was already frozen, giving Ur total control of them. She smiled and forced the boulders away from her, then directed her hands at Jura, "Comet Avalanche!"

The frozen boulders rolled down the arm at him, but Jura raised his hands up, "Rockiron Wall!" Several walls of hard rock blocked the attack this time, though a few were smashed.

Ur quickly followed up with a spear of ice with rose vines entwined around it, "Rose War Spear!" The sharp ice punched right through the walls and would have plowed through Jura as well had he not crashed another pillar of rock into the spear and deviated it's course.

He smiled fiercely at his opponent, "Truly relentless…"

"Did you expect me to be a cordial lady? This is a fight, Jura." Ur frowned and suddenly shifted, "A timed fight, as well. I've spent too much of that time playing with you."

Jura grinned from ear to ear, "Indeed."

**/**

Makarov felt the air change and tensed, "Here it comes."

Mavis nodded, "They're getting serious…"

"Hey, hey, here come the beasts…" Elfman muttered nervously.

**/**

Jura clapped his hands together and now dozens of the huge rock pillars erupted from the earth and came in on Ur. She quickly dropped from the rock arm she stood on and touched the ground, "Flash Freeze!" A wave of blue energy tore across the field and froze the pillars in place within seconds.

Ur snapped her fingers with a shout, "Shatter!"

The mass of frozen rock was obliterated and hovered in the sky. Ur pointed at Jura, "Comet Blizzard!"

The countless boulders pouring from the sky eclipsed the sun for Jura, who brought his hands up rapidly, "Four Rockiron Kings!" Four giants erupted from the ground and covered his body as the hellish rain of frozen rock annihilated the area around him.

He wasted no time retaliating as the giants crumbled, pointing his hand at Ur with a bellow, "Six Rockiron Titan Fists!" A half dozen gigantic fists burst from the earth around him and spread out. Ur glanced around as two came from the sides, two from above, and two head on.

She smirked murmured softly, "Is that all?"

Two ice broadswords were suddenly in her hands, and as she spun rapidly in a circle they grew to incredible lengths, slicing the fists in half like helicopter blades. Ur brought her arms up and drilled right through the last two fists coming down on her, sliding to a graceful stop as the broadswords disappeared.

**/**

Gajeel's jaw dropped, "Holy shit…was she always that powerful? She never used that strength against me when I fought her…"

"That's because she didn't want to kill you," Mira whispered, "The only reason you did as much damage as you did was because Ur had no idea you could use Dragon Force. Did you ever wonder how she pulled off that finishing attack back then in the state she was in? And now you can see that even then, she held back to keep your life from ending."

Black Steel stared at her, then back at Ur. _If she was that strong this whole time, just how much did I overestimate my own strength?!_

**/**

Lyon was utterly stunned. _She brushed off his Six Titan Fists like it was nothing…And she did so with such ease! I can barely manage to keep off two or three of those fists! _

**/**

"That's just..insane…" Sting managed.

Rogue stared in shock, "What _is _she?!"

"She's the Ice Rose. She's Ur." Gray said simply.

Erza nodded with a smile, "As expected of one of our big three. So beautiful, yet utterly terrifying."

**/**

Ur lunged at Jura, who in turn rushed her with a challenging bellow.

**/**

"They're going in for a close quarters fight! This tremendous battle of magic is going to the close combat stage!" Chapati yelled.

Jenny's eyes were wide, "They're monsters…"

"They're Wizard Saints. Now you know what that title means." Yajima murmured.

**/**

Ur created two blades of ice and swung at Jura in a scissor cross, but he covered his fists with dense rock and blocked before jabbing at her. Ur danced aside with a spin and swung at his neck.

Jura beat the sword aside with his fist and swung at her again. This time, he connected with her jaw, but she spat blood and slashed at him, cutting a wound in his chest. Jura staggered back, but Ur leaped at him and high kicked him in the chin. Jura punched her in the stomach with his rock clad fists in retaliation.

She suddenly created long thorns of ice that were connected to her body, spiking through the rock coating and slicing his hand. He grunted in pain, but responded by putting an armored coating of rock all over his body, not unlike the armor of a samurai.

With a roar, Jura kicked and Ur backflipped to dodge, slashing at him as she landed. He howled as the armor was cut and the ice blade tore another wound into his leg. Jura gritted his teeth and punched her again, but the damage was mutual when he was spiked by her thorny overcoat.

Ur skidded away, and decided to quit the thorns with a tch, "This'll get us nowhere and we're almost out of time…"

Jura also lost his armor, staring at her seriously, "So, this is to be our final attack?"

"It would seem so…" she muttered. Ur frowned at her opponent. _Neither of us has taken sufficient damage for a single attack to defeat us. I didn't want to use, "That" but…Here goes nothing. _

"Sorry, Jura. I'm putting this fight to an end right here." She held her arms out to her side and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Jura narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, "What are you up to?"

Ur didn't respond and kept breathing evenly, stabilizing her magic power. The air grew frigid as her magic intensified, then she crossed her right arm above her left with the palm facing down, while the left faced up.

Jura's eyes widened, "That stance..! You can't be serious!"

**/**

"Iced Shell?! Ur, that's suicide! This is a match, not a fight to the death!" Gray roared.

Sting glanced at him in alarm, "You don't think she'll actually use it, do you?!"

"Ur…what are you playing at?" Erza wondered, slightly afraid for once.

**/**

Yajima stared in shock. _Iced shell?! The sure-win spell that turns the caster to ice?! What could she possibly use that for in this situation?!_

**/**

Opening her eyes, she looked at Jura seriously, "Relax. This isn't Iced Shell. It's different." She smiled calmly, "I did what was supposed to be impossible. I created a spell with the same power as Iced Shell without having to kill myself."

Jura was stunned, "You created..a spell with such power..?"

"I did. If you've got the magic power of a Wizard Saint, I suggest you use it. All of it. Or defeat for you is certain."

Ur brought her crossed arms above her head, closing her eyes once more as she chanted, _"Spirit of the Tundra, Empress of the North, Queen of the Faeries…" _The sky rumbled and was suddenly covered by swirling dark grey clouds, which created a vortex in the center.

Jura stared up with eyes wide in realization. _! This power is..! _

**/**

Erza felt a chill go down her spine, her breath creating fog as the temperature dropped drastically, "This feeling…there's no mistaking it..!"

Gray watched his teacher in shock, "You surpassed Iced Shell, and turned it into a spell like that?!"

**/**

_"…Heed my call, Strike my enemy, With thy holy breath…"_

**/**

"There's no freakin' way…" Natsu managed.

Gajeel was utterly speechless. He knew this pressure well. So did Laxus and Mira.

The Take-Over mage gasped, "That spell is..it's one of those?!"

"She made a new one…" Laxus whispered.

**/**

"_The frozen heavens torn asunder, the Faeries dancing on the north wind…"_

**/**

Makarov stared in amazement, "Ur, you…to create a spell such as this..!"

**/**

Ur half opened her eyes, which were dark with intense concentration, _"I summon thy holy light of the north…"_

**/**

Mavis's eyes were wide, "This feeling..like the other legendary three…"

**/**

Jura clapped his hands together quickly with a bellow, _"Rumbling Mt. Fuji!" _

A massive eruption of power burst from the ground, but Ur brought her arms down and slashed them to either side with a cry, _"Fairy Aurora!" _

The vortex crackled with energy, then sent down a surge of blue light encased in gold, which hit the ground with a titanic explosion of magic power.

**/**

The blast force sent out a huge blizzard at the crowd, which screamed at the sheer power of the collision.

Some people were actually lifted slightly off their seats, but they were all chattering their teeth from cold. The entire arena was suddenly encased in a layer of ice that crawled up the walls and stopped just short of the spectators.

A huge smoke cloud covered the field as the screams faded to silence. The tension in the air was heavy with anticipation as every person in the colosseum held their breath.

**/**

"Fairy..Aurora..?" Mira whispered.

If Gajeel's jaw went any further down, it would've hit the arena below him, "What the fu…"

"Dear mother of god…" Laxus managed, unable to tear his eyes from the sight of glittering ice all over the field.

Natsu said nothing, for once completely stunned into silence.

**/**

Gray's hands were gripping the railing so tight his knuckles had paled. His entire team was in utter shock of what they'd just witnessed.

_Ur, when in the hell did you…_

**/**

"JURA!" Chelia shrieked.

Yuuka stared at the cloud of smoke, "Did he lose?!"

"That's crazy! Monstrous, ice-cold, freakishly, CRAZY!" Toby screeched.

Lyon shivered, but from cold or excitement, he couldn't tell. _This is the gap I have to cross, huh…It's far wider..than I ever dreamed..!_

**/**

"Wh-wh-wh-what an attack! That's a Wizard Saint! That's the incredible power of the ten strongest mages!" Chapati stuttered into the mic.

Once her teeth stopped chattering, Jenny also managed to gasp a reaction, "I..I have..no words…"

"Perhaps the staff will not be so reckless anymore when pairing such battles." Yajima muttered, though even he was also shocked at the power he'd just witnessed.

**/**

The smoke cleared, revealing Ur staring Jura down, who shook from the devastating force of the attack. Parts of his body were frozen as consequence of being hit with such a powerful ice spell. His eyes were wide, his teeth gritted, but he couldn't stand up and collapsed.

The crowd cheered as Chapati yelled into the mic, "Ur is-?!"

The cheering stopped as Ur also fell to her knees, panting for breath.

Jura looked up at her in surprise, "Wh-what-?"

"Dammit, I almost…" she gasped. Ur caught her breath and shook her head, "Almost had it. My apologies, but that spell..is still incomplete. I haven't mastered it entirely."

**/**

The crowd was quiet for a moment. Then they shrieked as one, _"EEEEHHHHHHHHH?!"_

**/**

"I-incomplete- HUH?!" Elfman's eyes damn near popped out of his head.

Levy was shocked, "That wasn't even the real spell?!"

"Wha-wha-wha.." Jet stuttered like an idiot.

Yukino's eyes were huge, "How could a spell of that caliber NOT be complete with so much power gunning for it?!"

Makarov gaped, "That scale of power from an unmastered attack?!"

"It's definitely on par with the other three legendary spells of Fairy Tail. Fairy Aurora…" Mavis smiled, "Magnificent. I look forward to seeing it's true form."

**/**

In the dark shadows of the Raven Tail area, Alexei tch'd. _Damn you, Ur. To think you had such a spell in your arsenal…I'll have to find another method of gaining Lumen Histoire. You are simply too much trouble for me to capture and interrogate._

**/**

Minerva eyed the end result with a raised eyebrow, "My, my, it'd be quite nasty to be on the receiving end of either of those attacks."

"I've memorized it completely. And I won't be forgetting it in a hurry." Rufus said with feeling.

Rustyrose twirled with a rose in his hand, "Such beautiful power made up for that disgusting battle earlier!"

Orga grunted, "So, those are the Wizard Saints, eh? What a couple of beasts."

Zancrow stared down at them. _Ur Milkovich...To think, such a woman was in Fairy Tail. Not that I'll say it to her face, but I'm sure even Minerva knows that Ur is certainly the top woman mage in this competition. To be honest, after witnessing that, she could very well be THE top mage here, period._

**/**

Ur smiled at Jura, "Your last attack was impressive. I admit, it did more damage than I expected, but it wasn't a finishing blow. That said, since I once again failed to cast Fairy Aurora correctly, my magic power has been drained…It also seems you can't move, either."

"So it would seem...Our bout ends in a draw, then. For now." Jura muttered.

**/**

Chapati proclaimed the verdict to the tense crowd, "Despite such an overwhelming attack at the end, since Ur's power has run dry and Jura is also incapacitated, the final match is a draw! Fairy Tail B and Lamia Scale both earn five points!"

Cheers roared out from the crowd.

**/**

Pumpkin Man walked onto the field once it was cleared of ice and the Wizard Saints had left to nurse their injuries. He smiled and held up a hand, "Well, that was a magnificent series of battles for day one! Here are the final standings at the end of the first day!

**/**

**1st. Sabertooth (20pt.)**

**2nd. Blue Pegasus (14pt.)**

**3rd. Raven Tail (13pt.)**

**4th. Fairy Tail B (9pt.)**

**5th. Fairy Tail A (8pt.)**

**6th. Lamia Scale (7pt.)**

**7th. Mermaid Heel (1pt.)**

**8th. Quatro Cerberus (0pt.)**

**/**

"Well, Sabertooth's on top, as expected! But the biggest shock is most certainly that both Fairy Tail teams are high up in the rankings! The boos from the tournament's beginning mean little, now!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima nodded, "What did I tell you? The Tenrou Team is not to be underestimated."

"Yay! Pegasus got second!" Jenny cheered.

**/**

The crowd roared approval as the Pumpkin Man finished things up, "Competitors, go back to your quarters and rest up for day two! It's all uphill from here! If you aren't prepared, the battles of the coming days will run you raw, so be back here tomorrow at 100%! That's all!"

The stadium cheered one more time and then the crowds started to leave.

**/**

A soldier walked up to his captain, who stared down at the field quietly, "Sir, the King has summoned you."

The captain said nothing for a moment. Then, "It's ripened to maturity…"

The soldier frowned, "Captain Arcadios, sir?"

Arcadios smiled, "It's coming together quite nicely. Just wait a little longer, Lord Zeref…"

**/**

In the infirmary, Charle flinched and then froze completely with wide eyes.

_A white knight in holy armor…_

_Devastation as the castle fell…_

_A crying girl in the midst, blonde hair whipping as she sang in tears..._

_Another roar, a massive white dragon…_

The vision ended and Charle gasped, bristling with fear.

_What was that?!_


	25. Meetings and Reunions

**Almost at day two! This will be set up with four to five chapters of battles, then a rest chapter for the first four days of the tournament, so up until chapter 40. Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Review! All advice, ideas, and comments are appreciated!**

_Chapter 25: Meetings and Reunions_

"Cheers!"

At Bar Sun, Fairy Tail bumped their drinks together for the who-knows-what time that night.

Cana was totally sloshed, hiccuping as she commented on her guild's performance, "Was that all?-hic- Just fourth and fifth place..?"

Gray tch'd, "Ah shaddup. You weren't even there because you were too busy checking out all the bars."

"I was watching the whole time! They had lacrima vision in every bar in the city!" Cana retorted.

Lector sighed, "How about we just celebrate how awesome our teams looked out there? We went from drool to cool in a day! By the crowd's perspective, anyway."

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch chirped. Romeo thought about commenting on that, then remembered the stick and kept his words to himself.

At a table with the Master and Ur, Mira smiled at the Wizard Saint, "Still, to think you had an attack like Fairy Aurora up your sleeve…That definitely scored us a few points with the crowd!"

"It scored points with the other teams, that's for sure! We must have scared them witless!" Makarov laughed, a little woozy himself.

Ur shook her head with a sigh, "No, I still didn't master that attack. I've been at it for years, but I still…It's only recently I decided to consider using it in battle at all. Any earlier, and it probably would have had the same effect as Iced Shell."

Levy looked up as Lucy walked in with Sting and waved at her friend, "Lucy! Are you feeling better?"

Lucy nodded with a smile, "Yup, I'm feeling great!"

"Well, considering all the time you spent with Sting, how could you not?" Juvia said innocently.

Lucy reddened slightly, but Sting laughed, "Aw, come on guys! Let's just party tonight and get all fired up for tomorrow-gah!"

He was suddenly smacked over the head by an indignant looking Natsu, who growled, "What the hell did I tell you about stealing my lines?!"

Sting glared up at his brother and got in his face, "Ah?! You wanna fight or something, hothead?!"

"Bring it, you damn flashlight!" Natsu hissed.

Lucy sighed, "Weren't you just saying something about a party?"

The brothers no longer heard her, as they were too busy snarling in each other's faces like dogs over a bone.

"Flame brain!"

"White boy!"

"Human torch!"

"Squinty eyes!"

"Your eyes are the same as mine!"

"Whatever, vampire!"

Sting threw his hands up, "What the hell makes me a vampire?!"

Natsu grinned darkly, "Three things: You're white, you've got sharp fangs, and you bite girls!"

"Like who?!" he demanded.

Natsu dragged Lucy over and tilted her head sideways against her will, pointing at a spot on her neck that looked suspiciously like a hickey, "Need I say anything more?"

Sting yelled, "You suck!"

The Salamander laughed, "Nope. YOU suck, Mr. Vampire! Literally!"

"I'll kick your ass!"

Lucy squealed as Levy pulled her back quickly before she was caught up in the frenzied Dragon Slayers as they got into a fistfight on the floor. The guild laughed around them.

"That's it, boys!"

"Go for it, Natsu!"

"Sting, sic em'!"

Gajeel kicked the door open with a bellow, "WHO THE HELL STARTED A FIGHT WITHOUT INVITING ME?!" He roared and joined the fray, making people back up in a circle around the three screeching Dragon Slayers.

Lucy held her hands up in surrender, "Come on guys, don't fight here! Master, tell them to stop!"

Makarov was totally drunk and just raised his glass with a cry, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Pathetic!" Cana laughed.

Lucy sighed, "Where's Erza when you need her?"

Lisanna looked around, "You know, I haven't seen her for a while now. I wonder where she is?"

"The important thing is, she's not here right now to stop us." Rogue suddenly walked towards the brawl with a dark smile.

Yukino blanched, "R-Rogue, you can't be serious…"

The Shadow Dragon replied by lunging forward and vanishing into shadow, then popping up in the middle of the fight and punching Gajeel and Sting straight in the face. Natsu dodged a kick and bashed him in the head.

Within seconds, the four Dragon Slayers were a roaring mix of thrown punches, kicking legs, and jarring head butts. Unfortunate bystanders were dragged into the fray occasionally and beaten down mercilessly, then thrown out and replaced.

Lisanna laughed, "It's almost like we're at the guild!"

"Those four are completely insane." Gray muttered.

Rogue suddenly appeared in his shadow and kicked the unsuspecting ice mage straight into the waiting fists of the other three Dragon Slayers, who yelled, "PISS OFF!" in unison and sent him flying straight through the roof.

Watching the destruction, Levy protested, "Come on, guys! We actually have to pay for the things we break here!"

She was completely ignored, but then Sting made the potentially fatal mistake of hitting Ur with a sphere of light. The Wizard Saint got up abruptly and walked over with a shout, "Freeze!"

And just like that, the Dragon Slayers froze.

Natsu and Gajeel were still punching each other in the face. Rogue had Sting by the leg and looked like he was about to toss him out of the room, while the White Dragon seemed to be preparing to clothesline the Shadow Dragon.

The four stared at Ur with uncomfortable looks as she shook her head, "This isn't our bar. If you keep this up, you'll destroy the whole place, and repairs will come from _your_ share of the prize money from this competition! Do I make myself clear?"

"…Yes ma'am…" they muttered.

Cana sniggered, "The mighty Dragon Slayers, reduced to putty at the word of a single woman. Pa-the-tic!"

She cackled while the insulted glared daggers at her, but said nothing in the presence of the Wizard Saint. Lucky for them, the girls decided to help preserve what dignity they had left and dragged them away to various parts of the bar for drinks and conversation.

As they found an empty table, Lucy glanced around, "Seriously, where _is _Erza?"

"Beats me…" Sting muttered.

A sly smile found it's way onto Lucy's face, "I don't wanna beat you, I wanna know where Erza is."

Sting rolled his eyes and smirked, "Cheeky." He kissed her anyways.

**/**

If someone was looking for Erza, they'd have to be at a dark alleyway under a bridge with a hooded stranger who Titania was all-too familiar with. In a good way.

Makarov had pulled her and Ur aside earlier and informed them that Crime Sorciere was stationed nearby the city. Ur had gone a few days before the tournament and had a heartwarming reunion with Ultear, but Erza was just now seeing Jellal- In disguise as Mystogan- since their meeting at the beach.

A quick hello, and it was straight to business.

Erza frowned at Jellal's information, "You haven't felt the mysterious magic pressure?"

"Yeah. That energy reminiscent of Zeref that we've felt every year is just..it's not there. I haven't felt even a glimmer of anything remotely like it yet." Jellal muttered.

She watched him seriously, "What could that mean?"

Jellal sighed, "There are a few possibilities. If it's a person, maybe they aren't at Crocas this year. Or maybe they're here, but not using magic. For all I know, it could even be a participant in the games."

Narrowing her eyes, Erza spoke slowly, "Could it be Raven Tail? They're rather..shady."

He shook his head, "No, they don't mesh correctly with the magic power. They're presence is foul, yes, but not deathly evil. It might not even be a person, perhaps it's a device that uses magic and simply hasn't been turned on yet."

"Well, in any case, if the magic power isn't there, there's nothing to worry about." she said with a smile.

Jellal crossed his arms, "I hope you're right…I think I'll take a look at the organizer's tomorrow."

Erza sighed, "Alright, just don't do anything conspicuous."

He rolled his eyes, "How many times has Ultear lectured me on that?"

Erza laughed, then smiled softly, "And don't get yourself killed."

Jellal put his camouflage bandana over his lower face, "Got it. Goodnight, Erza."

"Goodnight." Erza watched him for a moment, then walked away.

Jellal turned around and stared after her. _Maybe it's not a completely normal conversation, but to speak with such ease…Thanks a lot, Erza._

**/**

Erza walked towards the hotel with a smile, "I wonder if the others are still celebrating?"

"I found you!"

Her head whipped up at a balcony above her as a hooded figure appeared. "Who're you?" she asked.

The figure smiled brightly, "Super strong, right?"

Erza froze, then a smile slowly found it's way onto her face. _Is that really..? _

The figure removed her hood and looked down on Erza, with hair in the shape of cat ears and a distinctive bell collar. She waved her hand, "Erza, it's been so long!"

"Millianna!" Erza cried.

Said girl leaped down from the balcony and hugged her happily, "I missed you!"

Erza hugged her in return and spun in a circle, "It's been years! So, you've joined a guild?"

Milliana nodded, "Yep! Mermaid Heel! Wally and Sho are still traveling around, but I get into touch with them from time to time!"

Erza smiled and hugged her again, "I can't believe you're here…It's so good to see you…"

"You too, Erza." she replied, her voice muffled by Erza's shirt.

The two friends sat down at a nearby bench. They were quiet for a bit, then Millianna twiddled her thumbs a little, "I was going to reveal myself after we won the tournament and give you a surprise…but I just had to see you as soon as I could!"

Erza smiled apologetically, "That's sweet, but it doesn't look like your team had a very good day."

"No, but we'll still win! We've got Kagura- there's no way we can lose!" Millianna declared.

Erza frowned, "Kagura?"

Millianna nodded, "Yeah! She's our strongest mage! A really powerful Swordswoman just like you! If she really got serious, she might even be stronger than you, Erza."

"I see…I'd like to spar with her sometime." she mused.

Millianna sighed, "Maybe you'll end up matched against her during the tournament, but she won't get serious in the games. Not while she's still using Archenemy. That's the name for her sword."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Archenemy? That's a dark name for a blade…"

Millianna looked completely serious now, "As the name implies, it's a blade meant for killing just one person. She even developed a fighting style with an undrawn sword so she would only be able to unsheathe the blade to kill that man. The one that stole everything from Kagura..Archenemy's only purpose is to kill Jellal."

Erza froze, "Wh-what?"

"I know you feel the same, Erza. He killed Simon and hurt you. He was behind the Tower of Heaven the whole time. He used us, and then escaped the Etherion…"

Millianna hissed angrily, "He's unforgivable. That's why I joined Kagura's guild."

Erza watched her friend's expression sadly. _Millianna, what have you become?_

**/**

"Who's next?!" Natsu yelled, having successfully beaten the crap out of Max.

Macao cheered, "Hell, yeah!"

"Max sucks!" Wakaba proclaimed.

Warren and Vijeeter were sweating nervously, "How did he get that strong in just three months?" "Where do we even stand now..?"

Gajeel cracked his neck, "Alright, I'll take that challenge."

Laxus opened one eye, "Stop. If you and Natsu get serious, this is gonna be a hellhole in no time."

Gajeel grinned and started patting the S-Class mage's head like a dog, "Ooh? You've become a peace loving guy, Laxus."

The taunted mage glared at him while Levy tried to pull Gajeel away, "Quit it!"

Freed was furious, "You bastard! How dare you disrespect Laxus! Our pride, the purpose of the Thunder God Tribe, the fan club of Laxus! Members assemble!"

Evergreen and Bixlow were wasted on the floor, "No way…"

"Hic-pathetic!" Cana giggled.

A man suddenly approached her with a glass of alcohol, "Hey there, dime piece. You can really hold your liquor, huh?"

Cana glanced at him, "Ah?"

"Wanna drink against me?" he asked, a challenging look on his face.

Cana smirked, "I don't know where you came from, but you wanna drink against _me?" _

Macao waved a hand in front of his throat, "Hey, man, just move along!"

"It might not look like it, but this girl can drink an ocean's worth of alcohol!" Wakaba added.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

A while later, Cana passed out on the floor, completely wasted.

Macao and Wakaba screeched in unison, "Are you serious?!"

The mysterious man kept on drinking, then rose from his seat and laughed raucously in victory.

Jet's jaw dropped, "Really?!"

"Cana lost in a drinking match?!" Laki gasped.

Warren scratched his head in shock, "I've never seen her pass out like that…"

The man suddenly took Cana's top and stumbled off with it, "I'm taking this as a trophy."

Droy blanched, "Gildarts is gonna kill you…"

Macao and Wakaba blocked the man's path, "Give that back!"

Macao took a swing at him and connected, but the man just bounced off the ground and proceeded to slam the two men into the floor with surprising force.

Romeo shouted, "Dad!"

Mira frowned, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before..?"

"You know this guy, Mira?" Lisanna asked.

The man glanced at them and grinned, throwing his arms around the sister's shoulders, "Hey, pretties, how about we go for a little fun, yeah?" They tried to make him move, but the man was too strong for them as he laughed, "Aw, don't be like that!"

_"Hey..." _

The room froze as Natsu and Laxus glared at him, bodies flickering with flame and lightning.

The Salamander growled, "Let them go. Now."

The man raised an eyebrow, "This is big boy stuff, punk. Keep out if ya know what's good for ya."

Natsu got in his face and bared his fangs, "I told you to…Let…Them…Go…"

The man smirked and released the struggling sisters, who backed up quick, "Ohh? You wanna fight?"

"If you feel like getting your ass handed to you." the Salamander challenged.

The man shoved him back with a laugh, "This punk can talk big!"

Natsu was about to rush him, but at that moment Erza walked in and shouted, "Bacchus! What do you think you're doing?"

"Bacchus" looked over at her and grinned, "Why, if it ain't Erza! Been a long time!"

She wrinkled her nose at his breath, "You reek."

"Gorgeous as always, I see." he complimented.

Erza crossed her arms, "I thought you weren't participating in the Grand Magic Games?"

Bacchus laughed, "Gahahaha! I was gonna leave it to the young un's, but after seeing War Cry go down the way he did, my soul was howling for redemption. So by the substitute members rule, I'm entering the tournament. Maybe we'll fight it out and settle things there."

He glanced at Natsu and frowned, then grinned, "I got it! You're in the tournament to, right?! I thought I'd seen you somewhere before…Hah..interesting. See you on the field, punk." Bacchus cackled and walked out of the bar.

Natsu muttered once he was gone, "Can I just go kick his ass now?"

Erza sighed, "No, you'd better now. That man is Quatro Cerberus's S-Class mage, Bacchus the Drunk Falcon. I met and fought him many times on missions, but we never settled our rivalry."

Happy gasped, "On par with Erza?!"

Laxus huffed, "Whoever he is, I don't like how he was womanizing our girls."

Mira stared at him, "Lisanna I get, but just who do I _belong _to, exactly?"

The lightning mage shrugged, "Just sayin'."

Erza glanced at Natsu, "I don't know what you started with him, but be careful. Bacchus is no joke. He sees things through to the end, regardless of the outcome. If you fought here, he'll find a way to finish it later, mark my words."

"Good." Natsu growled.

Makarov, who had left the bar a little earlier, came back in with a shout, "It's bedtime for you kids! We've got a tournament tomorrow! Oh, one more thing! I need the Dragon Slayers to come with me- that includes you, Laxus."

Sting glanced at him, "What for?"

"The First Master wants a word with you about what happened a month ago." Makarov explained.

Lucy stared at Sting, "What happened a month ago?"

He was silent for a while, then answered slowly, "We got caught up in a..sticky situation..I'll tell you more later."

**/**

The guild filtered out of the bar while the Dragon Slayers following Makarov to the Master's room in the hotel they stayed at.

Mavis was waiting, and greeted them by dipping her head, "Hello. I know this is short notice and that Wendy is still in recovery at the clinic, but I needed to ask you a few questions about what happened earlier. I'm sure Makarov told you I'm interested in what happened three months ago."

Rogue nodded, "He did, but what about it?"

"You've discovered something interesting. I need details." she explained.

Gajeel grunted, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Mavis sat up straight, "I need to formulate a battle plan, and that tends to work best when I'm aware of what my mages are capable of. The last day is a mass battle between all the teams; I'm making a strategy by observing the enemies we face every day in the tournament. But I also need to know all your strengths as well."

Laxus shrugged, "That makes sense, but why am I here?"

Mavis smiled, "I'm going to experiment with something. And you're going to help me."

**/**

Porlysuca listed to Charle recount her vision at Wendy's bedside while the girl slept soundly. The old healer narrowed her eyes, "What did you see?"

Charle scratched her head, "Just fragments like the other times..um..A white knight..a huge magical array…"

"Anything else?" she prompted.

Charle's fur bristled, "Something impossible…"

Porlysuca stared at her. Charle looked terrified, like she was seriously about to start crying from fear. Quietly, she asked the question the white exceed was dreading, "What was it?"

Charle stared up at her with wide eyes, "Mercurius collapsing, what looked like Lucy singing in the chaos, and…"

_"A crimson dragon...and a white dragon…tearing each other apart…"_


	26. Chariot

**We're at the second competition of the Grand Magic Games! Next chapter will be a full blown battle between Natsu and Bacchus. For those of you who have read the story before this update, I'm going back and altering a good bit of the fight, since it seems that I've made Natsu's power level kind of gimmicky** **in the later chapters. Be sure to check it out, either way!**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 26: Chariot_

"Welcome folks, to the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Chapati here, with Mr. Yajima as usual with our guest judge, the Sorcerer Weekly reporter Jason!"

"COOL!" Jason yelled.

Chapati went on, "We've got the name for the second event today- Chariot! Mr. Yajima, what should we expect from that title?"

Yajima scratched his chin, "Well, with a name like Chariot, it will likely be some sort of race…"

"Cool! Racing is cool!" Jason cheered with the crowd.

Chapati cleared his throat, "Anyway, when your team has chosen the participating member, send him or her to the arena."

**/**

Erza glanced at her team, "Rogue and Sting are out of the question for this."

Lucy nodded, "It might be a race, but "Chariot" implies you'll be using some form of transportation."

"No, thank you." Sting agreed, waving his hands in agreement.

Rogue crossed his arms, "So that leaves Erza, Gray, and Lucy as the only other options, though Lucy probably isn't best suited for a race- no offense."

Lucy held her hands up, "None taken. So Erza or Gray, then."

Gray cracked his knuckles, "I'm going. We should save Erza for last." He walked to the center of the field.

**/**

"Fairy Tail A has sent in Gray Fullbuster!"

**/**

Natsu grinned, "Should I join him?"

"No, this'll probably involve transportation. See, Sting and Rogue aren't going." Mira pointed out.

Gajeel shuddered, "I ain't getting on a damn chariot, thank you very much."

Laxus grunted, "I ain't either."

Ur smirked, "I'll go then. I'd like to see how much stronger Gray's gotten in the last few months."

"Try not to kill anyone." Gajeel muttered.

**/**

"It's her! Fairy Tail B is sending Ur onto the field!" The cheers escalated significantly.

**/**

At the Lamia Scale Team, Lyon watched his teacher and fellow student take up the challenge, "My turn. If Gray and Ur are going, so am I."

"Do your best, Lyon!" Chelia cheered.

Jura nodded, "Watch out. Your old teacher is a dangerous woman."

Lyon smiled intently, "Believe me, I know."

**/**

"From Lamia Scale, it's Lyon Vastia!"

**/**

Minerva watched the Wizard Saint carefully and glanced at her teammates, "You know the plan. If Ur's going in, then so is Zancrow."

The Fire mage nodded, "I got it."

**/**

"Sabertooth's letting Zancrow out! The Fire God Slayer himself! From the other teams, Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus, Kurohebi of Raven Tail, Ichiya from Blue Pegasus, and from Mermaid Heel, it's Risley!" "Cool!"

**/**

The participants met in the center of the arena, then the ground beneath them glowed and they were transported away.

Gray realized they were at the entrance of the city, "What, do we just race back to the arena?"

A lacrima screen appeared next to them with Chapati on it, "This competition is simple! Get back to the arena before all the other contestants! You can use any magic here! If you fall off the chariots, you lose!"

Lyon blinked, "Chariots? What chariots?"

The road ahead suddenly glowed and then a mass of chariots chained together appeared, rolling in a continuously moving loop.

Gray smirked, "Those chariots."

**/**

Chapati cleared his throat, "Ready?!"

"Set!" Yajima barked.

Jason stood up and yelled, "COOOL!"

**/**

Gray rushed forward, but Lyon shouted, "They didn't say go!"

"It's Jason! Same difference!" Gray retorted, hopping onto the chariots first. The other competitors leaped on immediately, chasing after him.

**/**

"They're off!" Chapati announced. The crowd watched the lacrima vision and cheered.

**/**

Gray kept the lead for about ten seconds, then a black blur flew past him with incredible speed. He stopped dead for a moment, "That was Raven!"

"Fast, huh?" Lyon muttered.

Ur ran past them, "Hurry up, boys! Don't let your teacher get the better of you!"

They growled and chased after her.

Suddenly, Zancrow was between them.

Gray and Lyon stared at him, "This guy is..!"

"Saber's.."

Zancrow's fists became wrapped in black fire, which he then used to punch both ice mages in the face, "Flame God's Hell Fist!" They were sent flying into the air.

**/**

The crowd screamed. "Zancrow strikes! It's the power of the Flame God!" Chapati shouted.

"Cool!" Jason yelled.

**/**

Gray twisted in midair and shouted, "Ice Cannon!" He used the force of the cannon to propel him back onto the chariots, while Lyon created a bird that grabbed him and set him down carefully.

Gray stared after Zancrow, "Strong.."

"I suppose that's to be expected." Lyon muttered, chasing after him.

Ichiya ran past the two ice mages, but Gray wasn't about to let him, "Oh, no you don't! Ice Hammer!" He created a giant hammer of ice and squashed Ichiya into the chariot.

Lyon turned as Risley also approached, "Ice Make: Eagle!"

A flock of icy birds flew at her, but the Mermaid Heel mage grinned, "Don't underestimate the chubby!" She suddenly started running on the side of the chariots.

**/**

"There it is! It's Risley's Gravity Transformation Magic!"

**/**

Lyon smirked, "Not bad."

Bacchus was coming up last, still hungover from his drinking fest the night before, "They're all giving their best, huh…My soul is shaking, dammit."

He grinned and brought his leg up high, "I better give it my all, too! Alriiiight!" Bacchus slammed his foot into the chariot and crushed it completely, stopping the chariots attached to it dead.

The runners ahead of him went flying from the sheer force of his stomp.

**/**

Chapati stammered, "Th-this is..! Destroyed! Bacchus's power just destroyed the chariots!"

**/**

Said mage laughed and raced away, "Going forward!"

Ichiya stared after him, "What was that..?"

"That was dirty." Gray muttered.

Lyon tch'd, "After that bastard!"

Ur, Zancrow, and Kurohebi glanced back as Bacchus raced past them and straight to the goal.

**/**

"Bacchus did it! Quatro Cerberus gets ten points!"

**/**

Erza stared in shock, "That guy..compared to seven years ago, his power is exponentially different!"

"He's a beast, huh…" Sting growled.

**/**

"Ice Make: Lance!"

Zancrow tch'd as spears of ice crashed into the chariot he stood on.

Gray smirked at him, "I ain't done in yet, Mr. Flame God!"

"You're a persistent pest, you know that?" Zancrow grunted.

Ignoring Gray, he created a flame in his hands and aimed at Ur a little ways ahead of him, "Flame God's Scythe!" The flame turned into a huge black scythe which Zancrow swung at the Wizard Saint.

Ur turned with a smile, "Ice Broadsword!" Blades of ice sprouted in her hands, which she used to block the scythe easily. The Wizard Saint spoke with confidence, "You're power is impressive, but you'll need to do better than that to get the better of me."

"So I've been told." Zancrow muttered, but he was too focused on Ur.

Behind him, Gray caught the Sabertooth mage with another ice lance. Zancrow whipped around and glared at him, "You're pissing me off!"

He jumped into the air and took a deep breath.

Gray's eyes widened, "That's..!"

"Shit…" Lyon managed.

Zancrow roared, "Flame God's Bellow!" A mass of black fire left his mouth and completely annihilated a half dozen chariots below him.

**/**

The crowd shrieked, **"EHHHHHHHHH?!"**

Makarov's eyes widened, "That..was impressive…"

"Flame God Slayer Magic, huh…" Mavis whispered.

Elfman gulped, "Natsu wasn't kidding, this Zancrow guy is no pushover…"

Romeo's eyes were fixed on the blonde Sabertooth mage, "He's strong."

"Not as strong as Natsu!" Happy argued.

**/**

Natsu watched Zancrow's attack and grinned, "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."

Gajeel grunted, "He ain't that special. Ur blocked his attack easily."

"Well, Ur's a Wizard Saint. She can block just about any attack." Laxus pointed out.

Mira nodded, "I think it's fairly safe to say that man is definitely a high level fire mage."

**/**

Gray acted fast, "Ice Make: Bridge!" He created a bridge of ice that connected the chariots since the ones he'd been standing on with the other mages was totally destroyed.

Lyon smirked, "That's the best spell you can come up with? Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" A giant frozen dragon erupted from the air and carried Lyon over to the other side ahead of his competition.

Gray tch'd, "Bastard…" He ran across the bridge, Ichiya and Risley right behind him.

Zancrow snarled in frustration as he landed on the frozen path with too much force and went right through it, landing on the ground instead of the chariots.

**/**

"Zancrow lands out of bounds! That's too bad, but he's disqualified!" Chapati announced.

**/**

The Flame God stomped away to the arena on foot, muttering under his breath, "Who cares? Sabertooth can do without a few measly points."

**/**

Minerva sighed, "His destructive habits backfired, eh?"

Orga shrugged, "It doesn't matter, we're just getting warmed up."

"We'll make the battle portion beautiful." Rustyrose declared.

**/**

The runners all finished up in the next few minutes.

"Kurohebi's early lead earned him second place! As expected, Ur follows up in third! Lamia Scale's Lyon and Fairy Tail A's Gray make them fourth and fifth! You can see the other contestants coming up after them!" Chapati announced.

The crowd cheered as he went on, "The rankings are up on screen!"

"Cool!" Jason yelled.

**/**

**1st. Bacchus: +10 (QC 10pt.)**

**2nd. Kurohebi: +8 (RT 21pt.)**

**3rd. Ur: +6 (FTB 15pt.)**

**4th. Lyon: +4 (LS 11pt.)**

**5th. Gray: +3 (FTA 11pt.)**

**6th. Risley +2 (MH 3pt.)**

**7th. Ichiya +1 (BP 15pt.)**

**8th. Zancrow +0 (ST 20pt.)**

**/**

"It looks like Raven Tail just passed up Sabertooth on points! Quite the development, but Bacchus seems to have started Quatro Cerberus's comeback!"

"Cool!" Jason cheered with the crowd at Chapati's words.

Yajima smiled, "It looks like Fairy Tail is also getting up in the rankings. The B Team is tied for third with Pegasus, but A Team isn't far behind them."

"Cool!"

**/**

Gray stumbled to his team, wincing at a burn on his side.

Erza's eyes narrowed, "That doesn't look good. Go to Porlysuca and get it checked out."

He nodded wordlessly, heading to the infirmary as Lucy smiled, "I'll go with you. I wanna see Wendy and Charle, anyways." Gray grunted acknowledgement and walked off with Lucy behind him.

**/**

Once they got to the infirmary, Porlysuca put a healing salve on Gray's burn and made him sleep for a while. Lucy glanced at Wendy, eyes full of concern, "Is she okay?"

Porlysuca nodded, but didn't meet her gaze, "She'll be fine. Just a few more day's rest and she'll be good to go."

Lucy turned to Charle with a smile, "And how are you?"

"I'm fine…" she murmured.

The blonde girl sighed, "Thank goodness for that. Everyone's waiting, so..I'll get going!" Lucy left the infirmary quickly.

Charle watched her go with piercing eyes.

Porlysuca stared at her, "You don't intend to say anything?"

The white exceed shook her head, "How could I? A future like that..no one would believe me."

Sighing, the old healer turned away, "Don't expect people to believe something you don't believe yourself."

"Exactly! I won't believe it. It was just a dream..not a premonition…" …Is what she said, but it seemed like Charle was trying to convince herself.

**/**

Chapati spoke into his mic, "We start the battle competition next! The first matchup is..Raven Tail's Kurohebi versus Lamia Scale's Toby Horhorta! Serpents and hounds facing off!"

"Dogs and snakes are cool!" Jason yelled.

Yajima watched carefully, "I hope to see a fair battle."

**/**

Lucy ran up to her team, "Did the fight start already?"

"Looks like the doggish guy from Lamia is up." Sting explained.

Rogue shook his head, "His opponent is from Raven, though…"

Lucy glanced over at the Raven Tail area, catching Flare's eye.

**/**

The red head smirked, "Blondie…"

**/**

Lucy flinched. Flare's face was covered in bruises. _What happened to her?!_

**/**

Alexei growled, "Silence, Flare. Do not make a pathetic scene after we saved your sorry hide from humiliating defeat."

Flare pointed at Lucy, "But that blonde was-"

Alexei grabbed her face, "Do you wish for another beating?"

"I-I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Flare stammered.

**/**

Lucy looked away, too uneasy to meet Flare's eyes again.

**/**

"Let the first match of day two, start!" The crowd cheered.

**/**

Toby's fingers grew long claws, which he used to slash at Kurohebi, "Super Paralysis Claws Mega Mega Jellyfish!" Kurohebi ducked and weaved, effortlessly dodging Toby's claws.

The Raven Tail mage suddenly vanished into sand. Toby froze, "Huh?!"

**/**

Jura shouted, "Idiot! It's Mimicry Magic!"

**/**

Kurohebi reappeared with a tornado of sand, "Sand Rebellion!" Toby screeched as he was sent flying by the twister.

**/**

Max stared in shock, "That's my magic!"

"He can use individual spells by mimicking them?" Yukino mused.

Mavis nodded, "Mimic..what a rare magic."

**/**

Toby stood and faced his opponent, "Ooon..You're pretty tough."

"You aren't bad either." Kurohebi rasped.

The doggish man grunted, "Kurohebi's a cool name."

Smirking, the Raven Tail mage crouched, "It's not my real name."

Toby roared, "It's not your real name?!"

Kurohebi stared, "You're mad about that?"

Toby slashed at him furiously, "If I win this, you're telling me your real name!"

"Whatever..and if I win?" Kurohebi asked as he dodged.

Toby snarled, "I'll tell you my greatest secret!"

Kurohebi's eyes widened, "That's interesting…"

**/**

Chapati laughed, "It seems an odd wager has been struck between the fighters!"

"I don't really care for either of them, though…" Yajima muttered.

"Cool!" Jason yelled.

**/**

Suddenly, Kurohebi vanished again. Toby whipped his head from side to side, "The sand again, huh?!"

"No."

His eyes widened as Kurohebi reappeared in his shadow with a dark smile. He struck Toby in the jaw with a fierce punch, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

Toby hit the ground with a thump, utterly defeated.

**/**

"The match is over! It's Raven Tail's victory!" The crowd cheered.

**/**

"What?! He can copy Dragon Slayer Magic, too?!" Lucy gasped.

Rogue's eyes were wide, "That was my spell…"

"First Max's Sand Magic, and now the Shadow Dragon's..what other spells has he copied?" Erza wondered.

**/**

Kurohebi looked down on his fallen opponent, "So what's your secret?"

"My socks..I can't find one of them..Even though I've been looking for three months…" Toby sobbed.

Kurohebi stared at him and pointed at his chest.

Toby looked down and was stunned to see his sock dangling on his necklace, "It was in a place like this?!"

The Raven Tail mage sighed and grabbed it, then tore it apart ruthlessly. He smirked and walked away, "The more precious something is, the more I wish to destroy it. That's what I am."

Toby hit the ground in frustration, crying in anger.

**/**

Natsu narrowed his eyes as Kurohebi stepped off the battlefield, "So, they don't have to cheat every time to win, huh?"

Gajeel tch'd, "Creepy bastard, wasn't he?"

"Creepy or not, that was impressive…" Mira admitted reluctantly.

**/**

Chapati started up again, "Alright! With that unpleasant business behind us, let's dive straight into the second match! From Quatro Cerberus, it's Bacchus! Going up against Fairy Tail B Team's…"

**/**

Laxus started, "Us, huh…"

"That man is supposed to be on par with Erza. I wonder what he's like in combat." Ur murmured thoughtfully.

**/**

"...Natsu Dragneel!"

**/**

"Good." Natsu growled.

Gajeel patted his shoulder, "Lucky you. Don't lose, now."

Natsu shook his head, "There's no way I'm letting that bastard beat me. Especially after last night." He walked to the field, where Bacchus was already waiting.

**/**

Cana shook her fist as she yelled, "I don't care who does it, kick his ass! Take revenge for me!"

"Cana, calm down." Macao sighed.

Lisanna clasped her hands nervously. Elfman grinned and put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. Natsu won't lose to that guy."

She nodded, trying to smile, "Yeah..you're right!"

Happy punched the air with a shout, "Go, Natsu!"

"Beat him up!" Romeo cheered.

**/**

Arcadios watched the two mages meet each other on the battlefield.

"I arranged a good match, if I do say so myself."

The Squadron Chief turned to see the King approaching and dipped his head, "Your majesty."

The King nodded, "No one has seen the Salamander in real combat for almost nine years..And back then he was supposedly the most powerful of the Dragon Slayers…"

Arcadios glanced at him, "You wanted the strongest Dragon Slayer from back then to fight Bacchus?"

"Yes. Why?" the King asked.

Arcadios turned back to the field, "Forgive me, your majesty. I should have asked you more closely…The truth was covered up for the sake of the public."

Frowning, the King looked up at him, "Excuse me?"

Arcadios swallowed nervously, "The reality was a nightmare..A series of classified records show that even before nine years ago…"

_"Natsu Dragneel was not the most powerful."_

**/**

Bacchus was waiting in the center of the field, lying on his side while he flipped a gourd of alcohol. Natsu stopped a few meters away from him, glaring down at the enemy mage.

The Drunk Falcon smiled cheerily, "Well, this worked out quite nicely, eh? I wanna kick your ass and you wanna kick mine..We get to settle this nice and quick."

"Guess so." Natsu muttered.

Bacchus flipped the gourd one more time, "Hey..how bout' we make a bet like those other guys?"

The Salamander narrowed his eyes, "Ah?"

Bacchus grinned darkly, "Those sisters from last night are some real beauties..If I win, I get em' for a night. Both at once."

After processing that statement, a torrent of rage roared through Natsu, making him bare his fangs until the veins on his face were visible

**/**

Up in the stands, Lisanna was visibly horrified. Veins were popping from Elfman's face as he breathed, _"You filthy piece of…"_

"He's a stupid mutt! Natsu, beat him down!" Happy yelled.

Lector bristled, "There's no way Natsu will just settle for beating him..not after something like that…"

Lily gritted his teeth, "Dammit Natsu, keep your cool…"

Fairy Tail started getting riled up until Makarov silenced them.

**/**

Laxus growled, "That son of a.."

Gajeel stared uneasily, "Does he have a death wish, or something..?"

"He's powerful..but if he angers Natsu like that…" Ur trailed off.

Mira clenched her fists and gulped. _Natsu…_

**/**

Lucy covered her mouth as she gasped, "He's horrible!"

"That guy..hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Erza muttered darkly.

Rogue shook his head, "That isn't the problem."

Lucy whipped towards him, "What do you mean?! Of course it's a-"

"Look at Natsu." Sting hissed.

Lucy and Erza blinked, then glanced at the Salamander. Lucy recoiled while Erza inhaled sharply.

**/**

Bacchus sat up, "If you win..well, let's see…"

Suddenly, Natsu was covered from head to toe in a violent blaze of fire.

The Drunk Falcon stared at him, "Hmm?"

_"You know…"_

Natus's fangs were much longer than normal, visibly protruding . His eyes were covered by his hair, his face dark with fury. The Salamander clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked, "I'm a forgiving person…But there are some things I won't just stand and take…"

Bacchus blinked, then his eyes widened as Natsu met his gaze with irises reduced to slits, _"I'm going to rip you apart!" _

**/**

The crowd shifted uneasily. On the lacrima vision, Natsu looked like a demon incarnate.

Mavis's eyes narrowed, "The wrath of a dragon…perhaps I should have saved last night's experiment for later…"

"Natsu's flames get stronger from his emotions..in his current state, he really might try to kill that man." Makarov muttered with a deep frown.

Lisanna stared at the enraged Natsu with wide eyes, her voice barely more than a whisper, "Natsu…"

**/**

Chapati gulped, "Th-this is..rather serious now…"

"Cool! But really scary!" Jason gasped.

Yajima opened an eye and appraised the infuriated Salamander. _Do not let your rage get the better of you, child._

**/**

Bacchus grinned, "You're pissed, aren't cha? I'm glad we've come to an agreement..My soul is shaking…"


	27. Natsu vs Bacchus

**Okay, this is another one of those intense fights I can just picture in my head as freakin' epic. I hope you like it as much as I did! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 27: Natsu vs Bacchus_

Above the colosseum, crouching on one of the statues, a dark figure observed the two mages preparing to battle with a smirk. _Let's see what you've got, Natsu Dragneel…_

**/**

"The second match of day two! Natsu versus Bacchus! START!"

The crowd cheered in excitement.

**/**

Bacchus stood up and stretched, "Alright, here I- Gah!"

Natsu suddenly lunged at him and rammed his fist into the Drunk Falcon's face.

The cheering crowd paused in shock of the swift attack.

Bacchus went flying backwards with the Salamander firing off after him. He dodged another punch and jabbed Natsu in the stomach, making him double over before Bacchus slammed his palm into his opponent's jaw and abruptly snapped his head back.

**/**

The crowd went dead silent.

Lisanna covered her mouth with her hands and gasped in horror.

Happy was frozen, "D-did..he just…"

"Break his neck?" Lector whispered, his fur bristling.

**/**

Orga huffed, "Is that it? After that hissy fit, it's already over?"

Zancrow watched the fight with narrowed eyes. _Surely that isn't all you've got, Natsu Dragneel..._

**/**

Bacchus smirked, "You shouldn't interrupt men who are talking, kid. Is it already over?"

"Over?"

His eyes widened as Natsu glared down at him and hissed, "That tickles."

The Salamander's head came down like a hammer on Bacchus's, crushing him into the ground with a grunt of pain. As the blow landed, Natsu brought his foot back and lit it on fire, then kicked out at Bacchus, who crossed his arms over his chest to block.

The Salamander shouted, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" and sent the Drunk Falcon flying into the side of the arena with a loud crash.

Natsu growled after him, "Don't joke around unless you wanna get burnt to a crisp."

Bacchus walked out of the rubble easily and grinned, "You got some backbone, punk. That kinda hurt."

"Don't get excited. That was just me saying hello." Natsu sneered, cracking his knuckles.

**/**

"They're both unharmed! Both mages brushed off the other's attack with ease!" Chapati shouted.

Yajima eyed them carefully, "It looks like Bacchus may have taken more damage, though…"

"Cool!" Jason yelled.

**/**

Erza narrowed her eyes, "I wish I could agree with them, but it's hard to tell with Bacchus."

Lucy glanced at her, "Is he really that powerful?"

"Well, he is supposed to be on par with Erza." Sting muttered.

Rogue surprised his team with a growl, as he was fixated on the battle, "Shut up and watch. They're starting again."

**/**

Despite the fact that Natsu was seething with rage on the inside, he cooled down from his initial fury, although the flames rippling over his body continued to burn. His facial expression on the lacrima screen settled down a little, but not completely.

Lily nodded at his self-control, "Good. He's finally getting a hold on his anger."

"Well, at least he won't be so reckless anymore. He'll probably attack from a distance and decide his next course of action from there." Mavis mused.

Romeo blinked in question, "Huh?"

The First Master smiled at him, "Just watch. You're a fire mage too, so you can learn from this."

Romeo stared at her for a bit, then nodded, shifting his focus back to the fight.

**/**

Natsu took a deep breath and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Bacchus jumped away from the torrent of flames, but Natsu adjusted the direction of the attack, forcing the Drunk Falcon to duck and weave around the fire so he could get in close. The Salamander wasn't about to let him.

The moment he couldn't roar any longer, he threw a fireball at Bacchus, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Bacchus leaned back and let the attack soar over his head, but as he came up Natsu rushed him and punched at the Drunk Falcon.

Dodging again, Bacchus tried to hit him in the stomach with the same flick as before, but the Salamander roared again and forced him to back up quickly.

Natsu watched his opponent circle him warily. _He's fast. And his movements are totally out of the ordinary. Close combat isn't gonna mean shit if he can keep dodging like that..I'll have to hit him hard enough so he'll slow down and let me overpower him when it goes back to a fistfight. _

Bacchus grinned, "Alrighty then, all this heat's making me a little thirsty." He walked over to where he'd left his gourd of alcohol and drank deep, draining the bottle dry.

Natsu tensed. _What's he planning…?_

**/**

"That's it. He's getting into the fight." Erza murmured.

Lucy glanced at her, "What?"

"As the name implies, the Drunk Falcon is at his most powerful after consuming alcohol. He's not just playing with Natsu anymore." Erza explained.

Sting kept his eyes on the fight as he growled, "What does that mean?"

Erza narrowed her eyes, "Bacchus uses Palm Magic. It's quite basic, as all he does is focus magic power in the palms of his hands. In addition, he's mastered a martial art that allows him to use that magic to it's full potential- The Hanging-Chop Fist. But that isn't the scary part. He improved that style by creating a Drunken Hanging-Chop Fist."

Rogue stared at her, "He just drank the whole gourd…"

"He's at him most destructive, now. Bacchus isn't at ease with an all-around fighter like Natsu. He doesn't have the capability of hitting opponents that can attack at long range. That's Natsu's advantage and he knows it, but at the same time Bacchus will go more seriously before those long range attacks can do any real damage. He intends to finish this quickly." Erza said.

Lucy gulped, "So, that power we saw when he was hungover during the race...?"

Titania's eyes darkened, "He wasn't even trying back then."

**/**

Bacchus flew at Natsu with a new speed that barely gave the Salamander time to duck and avoid the first palm strike, but then Bacchus's other hand shot straight down and hit the back of Natsu's head, crushing him into the ground with a hiss of pain.

Natsu bounced off the field and used the force to do a spinning kick, but Bacchus leaned back to dodge, then rushed forward and hit him seven times in a split second as he laughed, "It's useless!"

The Salamander rose to one knee with a snarl as he recovered from the first round of attacks. As the Drunk Falcon came in for another round, his body exploded with flames, making Bacchus wince when he struck Natsu two more times.

His hands sizzled from heat, but he smirked, "Ain't gonna work, punk. If I up the speed, you'll just warm me up."

"I'm not just gonna stand here, you damn drunk." Natsu growled. He flew at Bacchus with a head butt of flame, "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

Bacchus let him fly past, but Natsu twisted and took a deep breath, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The Drunk Falcon ducked and rushed his opponent again, hitting him twice in the chest with incredible speed.

Hissing, the Salamander encased his arms in flame and lashed out, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

The flames scored a glancing blow on Bacchus's shoulder, but nothing more. Natsu tch'd and lunged at him, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Under Moonlight!" Bacchus shouted, thrusting his palm forward quickly.

The force of the collision sent out a small shockwave, but more importantly, Bacchus now had a grip on the Salamander's fist and used it to ram his knee into Natsu's jaw, then sent him flying with another quick palm strike.

Bacchus grinned, "Wild?"

**/**

"FOUR!" his teammates yelled from the sidelines.

**/**

"What a battle! The two mages are raging in a fierce clash of close combat! Though it seems Bacchus's Drunken Palm Magic has the edge!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima shrugged, "For now. Natsu has yet to use his real power."

"They're both so cool!" Jason declared.

**/**

Gajeel smirked, "Damn right. He ain't even trying."

Mira glanced at him, "Well, of course not. He still hasn't even used Dragon Force…"

"If that were all." Laxus chuckled.

Ur raised an eyebrow, "Did I miss something?"

**/**

Happy shook his fists wildly, "Come on Natsu! You can do better than that!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch called.

Lector frowned, "What is he doing? He's hardly trying…"

Lily scratched his head, "Is he trying to analyze Bacchus's fighting style? Or is he just wearing him down so he can finish it with Dragon Force?"

Yukino shook her head, "Neither of those make any sense. His movements are totally unpredictable, and he's hardly taken any damage…What's Natsu playing at?"

Lisanna watched the fight unfold with her hands clasped together.

Mavis smiled at her, "Don't worry about Natsu. He'll win."

Lisanna stared at her, then nodded, turning her gaze back to the fight. _Whatever you're doing, be careful Natsu…_

**/**

Natsu stood up and faced Bacchus again.

The Drunk Falcon raised an eyebrow, "Still got fight left, punk?"

"Is that all you've got?" Natsu asked.

Bacchus did a double take and blinked, "Excuse me?"

The Salamander grinned, "I'm asking if that was your full strength. If that was as fast as you can move."

Bacchus smirked, "A little cocky, aren't ya? Was that my best? Wouldn't you like to know?"

"If it was, then this fight is over. Your speed and power aren't enough to handle me. And I just figured out what my end of the bet is!" Natsu declared.

The Drunk Falcon appraised him, "Hold on, you're telling me you spent this whole time thinking of a good wager even though I've beaten the tar out of ya?"

The Salamander got into a fighting stance, "That's right. I just wanted to find something that I'd like...If I win this fight, your guild's name will be Quatro Puppy for the rest of the games!"

"Pup-pff!" Bacchus almost busted out laughing, "Okay, okay! It's decided then!" He got back into a fighting pose and lunged at Natsu with his heightened speed.

Natsu kept grinning as he got closer, then blocked the first palm thrust when it came at him. The second one he evaded, and the same with the third. Within a few seconds, he was blocking or dodging all of Bacchus's attacks with seemingly little effort.

The Quatro Cerberus mage started to stare at him in disbelief, finally becoming somewhat annoyed when the Salamander dodged another seven hit combo, "What's with you? You're moving a lot differently now…"

"It took me a bit, but it looks like…" Natsu had a fierce smile on his face, "I've finally gotten used to your speed. And your movements, too. You're pretty unpredictable, but I can tell what your next move will be by watching how you shift your attack pose."

Bacchus wasn't convinced, "Oh, yeah? How about this, then!" He brought his fist back and focused a large amount of magic power into the dead center of it. The Drunk Falcon smirked, "Let's see if you can block something like this…My personal secret move…"

Natsu faced him unflinchingly, not even moving so much as a muscle.

The magic around Bacchus's hand shimmered as he shouted and lunged, "Falcon Beak!" Taking a violet aura about it, Bacchus's magic took the shape of a screeching falcon's head as he slammed the attack into Natsu.

The resulting explosion of power was enormous, far surpassing all levels of Bacchus's previous attacks.

**/**

The figure atop the stone statue made a snort. _Pathetic._

**/**

Baccus had a confident grin on his face, "How's that? I'm going to enjoy tonight…A night of dreams with those beautiful sisters…"

Then the smoke cleared.

The Drunk Falcon's jaw dropped.

Natsu was still staring at him with unaltered intensity, having blocked Bacchus's attack with one hand.

**/**

Lucy's mouth fell open with a weak whisper, "Are you serious…?"

"One hand?" Gray managed, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Erza smirked, "I see…Now it makes sense. I was wondering why he hadn't used Dragon Force the entire time."

Sting nodded, "Yeah. He figured out that he doesn't need it for this."

Rogue's eyes narrowed. _Well…He says that, but it isn't necessarily true..._

**/**

While Bacchus was frozen with shock, Natsu growled lowly, "The only thing you're going to enjoy is one hell of an ass kicking…"

With that, the Salamander crashed his burning fist into Bacchus's jaw and sent him flying.

**/**

Makarov nodded, "That's more like it."

"Win, Natsu!" "Finish him off!" Happy and Lector cheered.

Lily crossed his arms, "He's finally gotten serious."

Elfman grinned at his sister, "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about. Natsu's a real man."

Lisanna smiled, "I never doubted him, I was just nervous when I heard that guy was at Erza's level."

**/**

In another part of the stands, Goldmine sighed, "Sorry kid. You shouldn't have provoked Bacchus like that. He's not gonna take that one without one hell of a fight."

**/**

Bacchus stood up and faced Natsu once more, a surprised grin on his face, "You're full of surprises, kid. I think I'll have to up my game a little."

The Salamander frowned, "I figured. Getting drunk is something you do on a regular basis. You have to have some other way of making your attacks stronger."

The Drunk Falcon laughed, "You guessed, eh?! Well, then I won't hold back!" He reached up and undid his gourd-shaped earrings.

Natsu's eyes widened, "In those? You've got alcohol in your earrings?"

Bacchus grinned, "Yeah. See, this alcohol is infused with magic that increases my speed and power…But it's so strong that most men go insane from just one sip. Even I can only handle a shot of the stuff, so let's call it. Heads or tails?"

Natsu smirked, "Heads."

The Drunk Falcon flipped one of his earrings and caught it. A small symbol engraved into the jewelry faced upright and made Bacchus grin, "Heads it is. Well, that sucks kid. This one is all about speed."

The Salamander frowned again, "You aren't drinking both?"

"Gahahahahaha! Both?! It wouldn't even be a fight if I did that! This is the combination I made to defeat Erza! There's no way I'd use it on a punk like you before her!" Bacchus laughed and shook his head, undoing a small cork from his left earring and sucking the contents down.

He shivered, then reattached his earrings and took a deep breath. Green energy started flowing slowly from his body, making his eyes dark. Then the energy roared out and made a shockwave.

Natsu held a arm up to ward the force off, cursing under his breath. _Damn, his magic power just went through the roof._

Bacchus glanced up at him slowly.

Then he vanished.

Natsu roared in pain as Bacchus slammed his palm hard into his chest. He felt his ribs crack and gasped. _This guy..!_

Bacchus vanished again and then caught Natsu in the back of the head, slamming him into the ground.

Natsu snarled and stood up, spinning in a circle while he yelled, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" A curtain of flame spread around him, but Bacchus rushed straight through it and hit him in the ribs. He coughed hard, tasting blood in his mouth as he felt his ribs crack even more.

The force sent him skidding away several meters, where he crouched and panted for breath. _All about speed, my ass! Just moving that fast makes his attacks way stronger than they were before! Dammit!_

**/**

"Turnaround! Bacchus is overpowering Natsu now! Can he keep up with that incredible speed?!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

Rogue stared at Bacchus in utter shock, "I…Can't even follow his movements with my eyes…"

"How is that even possible…?" Lucy gasped.

Erza was in awe, "What incredible speed…"

Sting swallowed hard, watching his brother nervously. _How can anyone move that fast? And how do you catch them..?_

**/**

In the stands, Elfman wasn't so confident anymore. His face was pale, "There's no freakin' way…"

"Is he getting beaten?" Romeo asked, a little subdued.

Makarov sweated nervously, "I didn't even see that man move until he hit Natsu…That speed is a real problem."

Happy stared at his friend, "Natsu..you couldn't lose, could you..?"

Lector swallowed, "If he keeps taking hits like that…"

"Come on, Natsu, get it together!" Lily yelled.

Yukino glanced at Lisanna, but wasn't surprised when she saw the girl with her hands over her mouth.

**/**

Natsu stood up again, glaring at his opponent. _Shit…He really might be on par with Erza, after all…_

Bacchus grinned, "It's all over, kid. I'm a wild guy, and no little punk's gonna look down on me."

He vanished, and then reappeared in multiple places around Natsu, hammering him over and over again. The Salamander roared, instinctively covering his body in flame so Bacchus took damage as well, but he was moving so fast the flames did very little.

As Natsu took another serious hit and was thrown away, Bacchus laughed and leaped up into the air, then came down to slam his palm into the Salamander's chest, "Falcon Bomb!"

The difference this time was exponential. With his enhanced speed, the Drunk Falcon's palm strike managed to create a large crater beneath Natsu, at the same time cracking more bones in his upper body.

In desperation, Natsu released a torrent of fire from his mouth. Bacchus dodged effortlessly and hit him in the jaw to close the flames off, then grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up.

The Salamander's flames started to dissipate as the Drunk Falcon smirked, "Bad luck, kid. It's common knowledge that if you cut off the oxygen, there's no flame. It's over." Natsu gasped for air as Bacchus squeezed hard and started choking him.

**/**

"STOP IT!" Lisanna screamed.

Elfman grabbed her shoulder and kept her still, "Calm down!"

"He's killing him!" she shrieked.

Happy started crying, "Natsu…"

"Even he can't top that speed…" Lily muttered, gritting his teeth and looking away.

Mavis's eyes narrowed, "Now. He'll do it now."

Yukino stared at her, "What can he possibly do in this situation..?"

**/**

Chapati yelled into his mic, "Th-this is brutal! Bacchus's speed has totally turned the tide of this fight! Natsu can't lift a finger against him!"

Yajima turned to him and spoke quietly so the crowd didn't hear, "Stop the match. Bacchus will just kill him if this keeps up."

"That wouldn't be cool…" Jason said.

**/**

As Natsu struggled to get free, he suddenly grinned.

Bacchus raised an eyebrow, "What the hell are you smiling for? Did I hit your head too hard or something?"

"Nope..Just…this..!" he gasped.

Bacchus felt a tingling in his hand, then yelled in pain as a shock traveled down his hand and up his arm. He let Natsu go and held his arm close, staring at the Salamander as he staggered and caught his balance.

Sparks were appearing all over his body as he closed his eyes and took ragged breaths. Bacchus took a step back in hesitation, "Wh-what's that?!"

**/**

Gajeel grinned, "There it is…"

"It worked after all, eh?" Laxus said with a smirk.

Mira stared at them, "What?"

**/**

Rogue watched intently, his eyes glued to the Salamander, "Can he really use that form in his condition?"

Sting gulped, "I hope so."

"What is that? It looks like electricity…" Lucy whispered, staring at Natsu as he stood up.

**/**

"Excellent. Even though Dragon Force isn't available to him at the moment, he can still use that." Mavis said with a smile.

Juvia glanced at her, "Use what? Why is Natsu able to use electricity?"

"What's he doing?" Romeo asked.

Mavis watched Natsu carefully, "During the attack on Tenrou Island, I recorded every fight that occurred, including the match with Hades. Back then, Sting was able to devour Natsu's fire and absorb his magic, resulting in what you know as the Whitefire Dragon. So knowing that and taking into account the events of last month, I decided to conduct an experiment last night with the other Dragon Slayers. And it was a success: Natsu managed to devour Laxus's lightning and absorb his magic."

Happy's eyes widened, "What?!"

Lily stared in shock, "He _ate _lightning?!"

Makarov nodded, "It was risky, but we took the chance based on the data Mavis obtained from the Tenrou Island battle and the battles of last month. She was confident it would work, but now we'll see if his ability to use the lightning is a blessing or a curse. It may use up his magic too fast."

Eyes wide, Lisanna stared down at Natsu while his body crackled with lightning, "What's he about to do?"

**/**

Flames spread over his body and fused with the lightning, crackling fiercely as Natsu opened his eyes and glared at Bacchus, "This is the Lightning Flame Dragon…"

The Drunk Falcon stared back at him, "Lightning..Flame...? You combined two elements like that?"

Natsu said nothing, just kept glaring at the Quatro Cerberus mage.

Bacchus smirked, "Whatever. So you've got a fancy trick as well. It's not like it'll help you much at this point, since you've taken so much damage. You waited too long."

"Why don't you come find out for yourself?" Natsu challenged, bringing up a fist that sparked with flame and lightning.

"Don't bluff with me, kid!" Bacchus sneered as he rushed the Salamander, "You'll end up a dead man if you keep trying to play the big boy! You don't have what it takes to bring me down at this speed!" He brought his palm back and thrust at Natsu.

Natsu's eyes were dark, "My enemies might fly faster…"

"Under Moonlight!" Bacchus shouted as his attack landed, but Natsu raised his arm and managed to block the enhanced blow. The Drunk Falcon raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"…But no one's leaving me behind now…" the Salamander hissed, "This dragon caught up and passed you all a long time ago."

The lightning flame around his body suddenly magnified drastically, making Bacchus actually flinch. _?! Are you serious?! He's got that much power left?!_

"Fly away!" Natsu roared as he slammed his fist into the Drunk Falcon, sending his opponent flying away.

Bacchus tch'd and gathered magic around his hands, then thrust them out towards the Salamander, "Wind Palm!" A huge burst of power was sent Natsu's way, leaving cracks on the arena floor as it shot by.

Natsu swung a fist his way and roared, "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!"

To the watching stadium's shock and amazement, the return attack completely annihilated Bacchus's move, much to his disbelief.

"You're kidding me?!" he screeched as he saw his attack get blown away, then grunted in pain as the punch's shockwave crashed into him and sent him skidding back.

Bacchus hardly had a moment's breath before Natsu had lunged after him with another attack already on its way.

**/**

While the guild cheered him on beside her, Mavis watched the Salamander take control again with a smile. _Fairy Tail was left seven years behind, but for Natsu, it was nine years. He had to work harder than everyone else to reach this point, but against all odds, he's done it…_

**/**

Bacchus flew at Natsu with that incredible speed, but to his utter shock, the attacks he launched were countered this time. Slowly, but surely, the Salamander was gaining the upper hand in their violent bout of close combat.

Then Bacchus took a step back. Then another. And another. Until Natsu was forcing him further back with every attack he launched.

The Drunk Falcon was in disbelief. _What the hell?! How is he keeping up with my speed?!_

Natsu slammed his lightning-enhanced fist into Bacchus's leg, making him grunt in pain, but more importantly, Bacchus found that his leg was going numb.

That's when it hit him. _The lightning…?! It's paralyzing my body and slowing me down?!_

But he'd realized too late. Natsu punched Bacchus in the face again and sent him flying, then sucked in as deep a breath as he could, _"Lightning Flame Dragon's…"_

Bacchus's eyes widened. _Damn! I can't move!_

_"ROAR!"_the Salamander bellowed, releasing a huge torrent of flame and lightning from his open jaws.

The mass of energy blasted into the Drunk Falcon with incredible force, making him skid all the way across the arena until he was smashed into the wall. The impact alone left huge cracks where Bacchus had crashed.

As the smoke cleared, it revealed Bacchus immobile and unresponsive.

Natsu gasped as the flames and lightning dissipated completely. He panted for breath, glancing up to see Bacchus fall from the crushed wall and hit the ground with a loud thump.

**/**

"A-awesome! Natsu just turned the fight around again and delivered a finishing blow!" Chapati shouted.

"Cool!" Jason screamed.

Yajima sighed, "I really thought we were going to have to stop the match…"

Chapati went on, "With that, Natsu is-?! What's this?! B-Bacchus is standing up!"

**/**

The crowd gasped as the Drunk Falcon slowly rose to his feet, shaking and gasping from all the damage he'd taken.

Natsu stared at him, gritting his teeth angrily. _This bastard doesn't know the meaning of stay down, does he?! _

Bacchus faced him with a face covered in sweat and pain, "That was..Wild! Gaha..ha..hahahahahaha!" He thrust his fists into the air with a laugh.

Natsu felt his legs getting weaker and struggled to stay standing.

**/**

"B-Bacchus is still up! Does he have enough power to continue?!" Chapati yelled.

**/**

The crowd cheered, but Bacchus roared, "SHUT UP!"

At his outburst, the spectators fell silent.

Bacchus stared Natsu down and grinned, "Kid, I take it all back…You're..a dragon all right..!"

He fell back and hit the ground hard, managing to gasp out a few more words, "You ain't just a man..you're a frickin..beast!"

The arena was absolutely silent for a few moments.

**/**

"Down! Bacchus went down! The victor is Natsu Dragneel! Fairy Tail B Team earns ten points!" Chapati declared.

Jason screamed with the crowd, "COOOOL!"

**/**

Natsu was still breathing hard, but he turned his head skyward and roared, drowning out even the crowd with his dragon cry. _"HHHRRRAAAAAHHHHH!"_

**/**

Happy and Lector jumped for joy, "HE WON!"

Romeo pumped his fist with Elfman, "That's our Natsu!" "What a man!"

Freed smiled, "It was touch and go there for a bit, but he really pulled it off."

Mavis nodded, "Magnificent. For only having obtained it less than twenty four hours ago, he's already got a good feel for the dual spell-?"

She turned slightly at the sound of crying, but smiled softly when she found Lisanna to be the source. "Are you alright?" she asked with a little amusement.

Lisanna nodded, unable to really say anything while her guild mates cheered for their friend. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, smiling down at Natsu when he glanced up at them and grinned. _Thank you…_

**/**

Gray sat up in his bed and stretched, "Man, not a bad sleep." He glanced around the room, frowning when he saw he was alone.

Standing up, he halted when he sensed something sinister. _This magic power..! It doesn't belong to any member of our guild!_


	28. Bad Omens

**Hey guys! This chapter is a little smaller than the others, but it's still pretty good. It's really more of a build-up, but there's some important/sinister/evil stuff being formed, so yeah. On that decidedly pleasant note, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 28: Bad Omens_

Gray ran down the hallway and glanced around, trying to track the magic power he'd felt. He looked towards the stadium. _That way! _

Once he ran outside, he saw four masked figures walking away with Wendy, Charle, and Porlysuca. Gray shouted, "HEY!"

The kidnappers jumped.

"Shit!"

"We were found out!"

"Run for it!"

Gray raced after them with a yell, "Give back Wendy and the others!"

One of the kidnappers turned around with a pair of pistols, "Leave it to me! This is the best against opponents using magic…"

Gray grabbed him by the face and froze him solid before rushing after the others, "You bastards! Give em' back!"

The other three members tried to run faster.

"What do we do?!"

"No choice! Leave two of em' behind!"

"Huh?!"

"The request was for the girl that was in the sick bay. Granny and the cat aren't girls."

"Why'd we even bring them along?!"

Gray was suddenly right behind them with a furious look on his face, _"Who's behind this?!"_

The kidnappers screamed, "WE'RE DONE FOR!"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

After beating the tar out of the kidnappers and freezing them together so they couldn't escape, Gray woke up his guild mates and called over some soldiers stationed nearby.

He explained the situation and got a nod in response, "Good work. We'll take charge of these guys."

What bothered them the most was that the kidnappers had told them that their client was Raven Tail. Gray wasn't sorry to see them go, but he cracked his knuckles angrily, "Raven Tail…"

But Wendy frowned, "The girl that _was _in the sick bay? Past tense?"

"There was one person. She came in with Gray to see you and Charle." Porlysuca mused.

Charle froze, "Lucy…"

**/**

"The strategy failed. Fool, the target was incorrect to begin with. You didn't relay her distinguishing characteristics?"

"My apologies, Chief. We've taken the culprits to jail."

"We weren't found out?"

"No sir. Raven Tail was made the clients."

Arcadios nodded, "Good. Well, we shall proceed to Plan B. We'll use the discord between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail and take the opportunity to bring one of their Celestial Mages into our hands. For the sake of the Eclipse."

**/**

When Gray and the others got back, they found Natsu with Lisanna, Happy, and his team waiting for them, slightly confused until they reappeared. Porlysuca got straight to work, bandaging the injured Dragon Slayer up, but luckily none of his injuries were particularly serious, though his ribs required closer attention that Wendy provided.

Ur smiled, "I'm honestly impressed. Natsu turned a situation like that around and still found a way to win. With that kind of momentum, we'll definitely win this tournament."

Wendy smiled, "Who would've thought Ur would praise you like this."

"Well, he did beat one hell of a guy." Laxus admitted.

Natsu, currently sitting up in his bed, growled at them, "Quit talking like I'm not here. It sounds like your mourning a dead man. That hurts more than my ribs."

Lisanna laughed, "Well, being strong has always been one of your redeeming features."

Gajeel smirked, "That's a sad redeeming feature."

"You're the same way, you scrap iron bastard!" Natsu retorted.

Happy, who had gone out to bring the Thunder God Tribe back, flew in the room with them behind him. After explaining what had happened, Freed began to set up runes while Evergreen and Bixlow stood guard.

With so many people in the room, Porlysuca started to usher them all out. Even Natsu left, despite protests from the others.

"I wanna see the rest of the fights! A Team hasn't fought yet!"

Ur glanced at Porlysuca, "Is it okay if he leaves?"

The old healer sighed, "I don't feel like stopping him. As long as he doesn't get into another fight for the rest of the day, I don't care if he leaves Crocas and never comes back."

"Hey!" Natsu protested.

Lisanna smiled, "She's just joking, Natsu."

He looked skeptical, "Are you sure? I don't think I've ever heard her joke before…"

Porlysuca rounded on him with a bark, "What do you mean, I never joke?! Have you not heard of my incredible wit and sarcasm that makes even Makarov laugh?!"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow, "You sure he ain't crying?"

"…Leave, you damned humans!" she commanded, swinging a broom at them. The group hurried out, leaving her alone once more.

While B Team and Gray went to their respective areas, Lisanna took Natsu's hand and smiled, "How about you come cheer with us?"

Natsu grinned, "Sounds good."

"We'll come too!" Wendy chirped.

Charle walked behind them slowly, so Happy glanced back, "What's wrong, Charle?"

The white exceed stopped in her tracks, "Something about this Raven Tail incident doesn't make sense."

"What about it?" Wendy asked.

Natsu stared at her, "I heard the gist of it, but isn't what happened obvious? Raven Tail hired some bandits to try and capture Lucy, but they totally screwed up. First, they didn't even get the right target, and then Gray caught them in the act."

Lisanna nodded, "Doesn't it all make sense?"

Charle shook her head, "No. Their method of capture is what bothers me. Raven Tail has that guy who can reduce his opponent's magic power to zero in an instant. He's the ideal person to send for a capture. So why wasn't he there? And when you think about it, he would've known what Lucy looks like. He wouldn't have made a ridiculous mistake like that."

Natsu appraised her seriously, "Well, that guy is supposed to be with his team during the battle portion until they've competed…And if you ask me, I bet Raven Tail values results over methods."

"You sure you aren't over thinking things, Charle?" Wendy prompted.

Charle crossed her arms and frowned. Then she glanced up at them, "Can I trust you guys..to keep a secret?"

Lisanna blinked, "Well sure..but what kind of secret?"

The white exceed took a deep breath, "I had..a disturbing vision…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The group listened in shock as Charle told them of her vision, recounting every detail down to the bloodthirsty dragons.

Natsu's eyes got wide, "Dragons? You're sure?"

"I hardly think I could mistake a pair of giant winged lizards going claw to claw with each other." Charle said dryly.

Wendy gulped, "B-but what were they doing here? And why were they fighting?"

"More importantly, why was Lucy in the castle, and why was it collapsing?" Happy asked, his tail bristling.

Lisanna stared at the white exceed, "Are you sure that was a vision?"

Charle frowned, "I don't want to believe it, but considering what just happened…I think it's fairly safe to say Lucy is in some form of danger."

Natsu took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "We should at least tell Sting, but if you really wanna keep this a secret…"

"I do." Charle said simply, "I don't want to make everyone panic over this and then find out it was just a crazy dream."

Lisanna nodded, "That makes sense, but we should probably keep an eye on Lucy."

"No need for that. Once Sting finds out Raven Tail tried to have a go at her, he won't let her out of his sight." Natsu remarked.

Wendy smiled, "He'll keep Lucy safe, for sure! Anyways, let's go to the others! We can think about this stuff later!"

"You're right, Wendy! Let's go cheer for A Team!" Happy said cheerfully.

The little girl led the two exceeds away, but Lisanna stopped Natsu for a moment. He stared at her, "What's up?"

"Just this." she whispered, kissing him on the lips softly.

When she pulled back, he smirked, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

Lisanna hugged him, "That was for being amazing. I'm glad you're okay."

Natsu's expression softened, "Come on, there's no way I'd lose a fight with you on the line."

"Even so…Watching you get hit like that over and over really scared me." she murmured.

Natsu slipped his arms around her and squeezed her gently, "Hey, I won. I'm not even hurt that bad, so why don't we go cheer on the others?"

Lisanna smiled and pulled back, "Okay." She took Natsu's hand again and led him to the stands.

**/**

Minerva stepped into the hallway behind them and watched the two walk into the stands. _Natsu Dragneel, huh..So your anger triggers your true power..and that girl is what sets you off…_

She smiled darkly. _I'll experiment a little first, but I want to see you when your anger reaches it's peak…_

**/**

"Alright! It's time for the third battle of day two! From Blue Pegasus, Eve Tilm! And from Sabertooth, it's Rufus Lore! Those who competed against each other on the first day are clashing once more!"

"Cool!" Jason and the crowd cheered at Chapati's announcement.

**/**

Natsu and Lisanna reached the stands where their guild had taken up residence.

Romeo was waiting for him, having been told by Happy he was coming. The kid jumped up when he got to them, "You were awesome, Natsu!"

"A real man!" Elfman declared.

Mavis smiled and dipped her head, "It looks like you pulled it off after all. Well done."

Natsu grinned, "Thanks."

Cana raised an eyebrow, "Should you be out of bed after getting beat down like that?"

"Granny said I could go as long as I didn't fight anyone." he said with a shrug.

Cana laughed and patted his shoulder, "Thanks for getting payback from that guy."

Natsu smirked, "No problem. He pissed me off anyways." They took a seat with the rest of the guild and watched the battle start.

Lisanna leaned forward towards the field, "Isn't that Sabertooth's guy from yesterday?"

"That's him alright…" Natsu muttered.

**/**

The two mages met on the battlefield quietly, sizing each other up. Eve smiled confidently, "Should we make a bet like the others?"

"I have no interest in such things…why don't you make the first move?" Rufus prompted.

The Triman smirked sent forth a snowstorm at Rufus with a shout, "White Fang!"

Rufus smiled and dodged easily, "I'm memorizing that magic."

He landed safely as Eve followed up with another blizzard, "White Fury!"

Rufus again dodged easily, then put his fingers to the sides of his head, "I think I'll finish this quickly…"

Eve stared at him seriously, "If you don't mind me asking, just how does your magic work? Even Hibiki's Archive has next to nothing on that spell."

Rufus closed his eyes, "I memorize magic that I've seen, and using that as a base, I give shape to new magic."

"Care to give me an example?" Eve asked.

Rufus chuckled, "Very well, let's see…My memory of Jura is, "Earth" Magic. And my memory of the Salamander is, "Fire" Magic. I remember it all…Memory Make…"

The ground rumbled and became red with heat, then a huge burst of fire erupted from the earth and smote Eve's body while Rufus shouted, "Karma of the Burning Earth!"

Eve cried out and hit the ground hard, utterly defeated.

**/**

"That's it! Rufus is the victor! Sabertooth earns ten points!"

"Cool!" The crowd cheered as the victorious mage took a bow.

**/**

Gajeel eyed Rufus with disdain. _So that's how your magic works, eh…I'll remember that, you masked bastard._

**/**

"An ancient magic. I'm surprised to see it here…" Mavis remarked.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, "If he memorized my magic that fast I'll bet he memorized Ur's magic too. Especially if he memorized Jura's."

"So it'd probably be best for us to keep our most powerful spells a secret so he can't memorize them and use those spells against us later." Freed mused.

Levy glanced at Natsu, "Well since Natsu and Ur have already used their highest level spells, I guess he's already memorized a lot about us…"

The Salamander grinned, "Don't worry about it. I've still got a few tricks he doesn't know about."

Lily scratched his chin, "The only two teams left are Fairy Tail A Team and Mermaid Heel…"

"We don't know much about Mermaid Heel, but they don't seem to be very high level…" Lector murmured.

Charle crossed her arms, "If you think about our members that haven't fought yet, those being Erza, Sting, Gray, and Rogue, and compare them to the level we've seen of Mermaid Heel so far, it's fairly safe to say the match is as good as ours."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

**/**

"Okay, it's finally time for the last matchup of day two!"

Arcadios glanced at the King beside him, "Your majesty, are you certain you wanted this fight today? It would have been a great addition to the finale..."

"No, I want them to fight one on one, first. No interruptions." he explained.

Arcadios nodded, "As you wish. It will definitely prove to be an interesting match."

The King laughed, "So it should! I can't wait to see how it turns out!"

**/**

"From Fairy Tail A Team, Erza Scarlet!"

**/**

Erza nodded, "My turn, then."

"Good luck, Erza!" Lucy cheered.

Gray patted her shoulder, "Go get em'."

Sting laughed, "If it's Erza, there's no way we can lose!"

Rogue smiled, "The match is as good as ours, huh…"

**/**

"…and from Mermaid Heel, Kagura Mikazuchi!"

**/**

Kagura narrowed her eyes, "They're well informed, aren't they? Pitting me against Titania…"

Milianna jumped up in excitement, "Kagura against Erza, wow!"

"Do your best!" Beth cheered.

Risley crossed her arms, "Watch out. Erza Scarlet is supposedly the most powerful female swordsman there is…"

Arania shook her head, "Kagura is definitely stronger!"

Said woman walked off to meet Erza, throwing a few soft words over her shoulder, "There is no need for concern. I can see the road my blade shall travel."

**/**

Chapati turned to Yajima, "Mr. Yajima, do you think these two will form a bet like the other battles?"

"Hmm…I find it hard to imagine something they could wager on, since they've never met each other…Or they may just not be interested at all…"

Jason grinned, "I wouldn't expect a wager between two cool people like them!"

**/**

Erza met Kagura on the battlefield, meeting her cool gaze with an equal calm. _This is the woman who wants to kill Jellal…Who are you, really? _

Kagura appraised her opponent quietly, her posture giving away nothing. _So, this is Erza Scarlet, Milianna's old comrade…Do you also hate Jellal, or is the affection Milianna told me about still clouding your mind? _

**/**

Concealed in the shadows of the arena, Jellal, disguised as Mystogan, watched Erza approach her opponent, but his mind was divided between the battle and his mission. _What's happening, here? Even though the second day is almost over, I still can't sense the mysterious magic power that appears every year…I guess all I can do is watch this match and cheer Erza on._

**/**

"Alright! The final battle of day two! Erza versus Kagura! Battle start!"

The crowd roared as the bell gonged to start the match.

**/**

Kagura dipped her head, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Erza copied the greeting, "Same here."

Kagura looked back up at her, "Before we begin, shall we make a wager as well?"

"I do like to gamble from time to time…what do you have in mind?" Erza asked.

Kagura watched her carefully, "Milianna has told me you are..an acquaintance of Jellal. If I win, I want you to tell me where he is."

Her eyes narrowed, Erza replied slowly, "I already know your purpose..but I don't know your background. Why do you want to kill him so badly?"

Kagura's eyes darkened, "If you defeat me..I will answer that question."

"Then it's decided. Come." Erza readied herself as Kagura brought her sword up from her side. They were still for a moment, then charged each other.


	29. Erza vs Kagura

**I had a surprisingly difficult time writing this chapter. With such a lack of information on Kagura's attacks, I tried to make it as best I could without trolling you the way we were trolled in the manga. I'm sorry, Kagura was so downgraded in the manga. She was built up to be this monster and got KO'd by Erza after she basically owned her. In one shot, nonetheless. Then Minerva stabbed her and Kagura officially became fodder in the tournament. Why Mashima, WHY?! Oh well, with that rant aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 29: Erza vs Kagura_

Natsu frowned, trying to make sure he'd just heard the women in the arena correctly. Their voices had been soft so no one else had heard, but his keen hearing had definitely caught the words. He was just having trouble believing them. _Did I just hear that right? That Kagura woman…What's her connection to Jellal?_

"Natsu?"

He blinked and glanced to the side. Lisanna was watching him with concern, "Is something wrong?"

"…No..it's nothing…" he answered, turning back to the fight.

**/**

Erza summoned a sword and slashed down, while Kagura brought her sheathed blade up and parried, then forced her opponent's sword back with surprising strength and slashed back.

Erza leaped aside just in time to avoid the swing, but the ground where she'd been standing a moment earlier was sliced from the force, making her eyes widen in surprise. _This is..!_

**/**

"Wha-Without unsheathing the blade?!" Lucy gasped.

Sting's eyes grew wide, "What the hell kind of fighting style is that?!"

"Rogue, you're a swordsman. Have you ever seen something like this?" Gray asked, glancing at the Shadow Dragon.

Rogue shook his head, "Never. I didn't even know it was possible to cut with a sheathed blade."

**/**

Milianna smiled with fiendish delight, "If Kagura unsheathed her sword, there would be a cataclysm."

**/**

Erza leaped back to put some distance between them and cursed herself, "How could I have forgotten? Milianna did mention such a sword style the other day..It's impressive, as expected."

"One does not compliment their enemy in the middle of a battle. Especially with a life on the line." Kagura replied, readying her sword and charging Erza again.

Titania requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and summoned a mass of blades, "Blumenblatt!"

Kagura kept coming, but a wave of magic erupted from her body and sent the oncoming blades straight into the ground.

**/**

Happy gasped, "How'd she do that?!"

Cana's eyes narrowed, "I get it. It's like that guy from Grimoire Heart."

"Bluenote. That woman can use Gravity Magic too, huh?" Natsu mused.

Freed scratched his chin thoughtfully, "So, her techniques that involve hitting her opponent with a large number of swords aren't useful, here."

Mavis's eyes narrowed, "That isn't what I'd be concerned about."

**/**

With a tch, Erza took two swords in her hands and slashed in a delta formation, "Trinity Sword!"

"Blade of Resentment, Archenemy." Kagura murmured. The two attacks met, but Erza was blown backwards as her opponent's slash overpowered her own, "Style of the Undrawn Longsword."

As Erza regained her footing, Kagura dropped to the ground and touched it with her hand. The mass of swords buried in the ground suddenly floated back up and pointed themselves at Erza, who's eyes widened in surprise.

A ghost of a smile touched Kagura's face, "Learn to keep your biggest cards for last, Titania."

The blades flew at Erza, who requipped to her Adamantine Armor and put the giant shield up to block.

When the swords bounced off easily, Kagura rushed her, "Blade of Resentment, Slashing Form!" Erza cried out as the undrawn blade cut through the Adamantine Armor like it was paper and inflicted serious damage.

**/**

"Th-this is incredible! Kagura's overpowering Erza at her leisure!" Chapati stammered.

Jason pumped his fists, "Cool!"

**/**

"No way!" Elfman shouted.

Yukino gasped, "But- that armor's capable of stopping a blast from Jupiter's cannon!"

"She still hasn't even drawn her sword…" Natsu managed, eyes wide.

**/**

Mira grabbed the railing and shouted, "Erza!"

Gajeel's jaw dropped, "O-oi, seriously..?"

"Now I've seen everything." Ur muttered.

Laxus said nothing, just raised an eyebrow in immense surprise.

**/**

Kagura came to a stop and turned around as Erza staggered to her feet, "I'm just getting started."

Titania glared at her, "Not bad, but one strike does not guarantee a victory."

"If you're coming, then come on." Kagura challenged.

Erza requipped to her Black Wing Armor and readied her blade with a fierce look in her eyes. The women charged again, blades meeting once more, but this time there was less of a difference.

Kagura's eyes flashed in surprise when Erza pressed her and made her skid back before flying past her and slashing quickly, "Moon Flash!"

Crying out as she was hit, Kagura managed to keep her footing and spun towards Erza as she recovered, lunging forward with a stabbing motion, "Strong Form!"

Titania turned and requipped in time to meet the stab with her Giant's Armor Spear, but the weapon was destroyed upon contact with Archenemy. In a split second, she went into her Soaring Armor and leaped back, managing to dodge the stab and charge Kagura again.

The other mage held her sword up and shouted, "Guard Form!"

"Sonic Claw!" Erza cried, slashing at Kagura repeatedly as she flew past her. Kagura's mouth set in a line of determination as she blocked.

Suddenly, Erza's eyes widened as the attacks she'd delivered to Kagura suddenly cut her own body and made her hit the ground hard.

**/**

"The tide of the battle keeps going back and forth! Erza took control for a short time, but now Kagura has made a comeback!" Chapati shouted.

"Cool!" Jason cheered, echoing the crowd.

**/**

Lucy covered her mouth with her hands, "Erza..took the damage from her own attack?"

"Who _is _this chick?!" Gray asked, utterly stunned.

Sting swallowed nervously, "Who would've thought someone like that was here..I definitely didn't see another high level sword mage like Erza coming. Unreal…"

Rogue's eyes narrowed, "There isn't a single wasted movement. Everything she does has a purpose...This Kagura is truly a master of the blade…"

**/**

Erza got up to her feet, breathing heavily, "This is an eye opener..I never would've suspected that someone like you would be here…That said…" She took a few deep breaths and steadied herself, then requipped to her Purgatory Armor and glared at Kagura fiercely, "I have no intention of losing to you. Prepare yourself."

Kagura's eyes narrowed, "Oh? Is that your strongest armor?"

Erza smiled, "No. You'll see my strongest armor when you unsheathe your blade."

The other woman shrugged in disappointment, "I suppose I'll be waiting a while, then." Kagura readied herself, then charged Erza once more. Titania waited for her to approach, then slashed straight down with the huge, spiked black mace.

Kagura raised her sword to block, but grunted in shock when the force of the blow made her drop to one knee.

Not missing a beat, Erza requipped to her Sea Empress Armor, kicking Kagura in the jaw to send her flying, then slashing with a blade of water.

Kagura skidded to a stop and blocked the water, but then cried out when Erza, now in her Lightning Empress Armor, hit her with multiple beams of lightning that created an explosion.

**/**

"Turnaround! Erza's on top again! Can Kagura keep up with Titania's swift requipping?!"

"Cool!"

**/**

Natsu grinned, "That's better."

"Go, Erza!" Lisanna cheered.

Happy and Frosch started jumping, "Win! Win! Win!"

Pantherlily crossed his arms, "It's not over yet."

Makarov nodded, "Both of them are still capable of fighting."

**/**

Kagura swiftly recovered and stood back up, facing Erza once more with narrowed eyes, "Impressive. As expected, you have not been granted the name, "Titania" for nothing."

Erza smiled wryly, "Didn't you say a moment ago that one does not compliment their enemy when fighting with a life on the line?"

Kagura legitimately smiled in amusement, "So I did. It seems I've contradicted myself. But Erza..I don't intend to lose, either."

She rushed her again as Erza requipped into her Morning Star Armor and charged as well. Kagura brought her sword back and swung diagonally, "Slashing Form!"

"Photon Slicer!" Erza shouted.

The two blades collided and created a huge explosion from the force, sending up a cloud of smoke that obscured the vision of everyone in the colosseum.

**/**

"Awesome! The two Swordswoman mages! They're powers are virtually equal!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Cool!"

**/**

"That's more like our Erza!" Gray said with a grin.

Lucy looked a little nervous, "But is she okay after that?"

"It takes more than a little explosion to put Erza down." Sting assured. "Believe me, I've learned _that _the hard way." The White Dragon admitted ruefully, probably recalling a previous fight with Erza as a kid.

**/**

The smoke cleared to reveal both Erza and Kagura still facing off, staring each other down menacingly. Kagura settled into another stance and readied her blade, "This is getting us nowhere. I am not prepared to lose when information regarding Jellal's whereabouts is on the line."

"Is that where your power is coming from? Is your hatred what makes you so powerful?" Erza asked.

Kagura's eyes darkened, "Enough talk, Titania. Prepare yourself." Her finger slowly dropped to the hilt of her blade and her thumb pushed it out of the sheath ever so slightly.

Erza braced herself, ready to do anything from dodging to blocking the oncoming attack. _Here it comes…_

Then the bell gonged.

**/**

"Time's up! The match is over! Since both competitors are still standing, Fairy Tail A Team and Mermaid Heel both earn five points!" Chapati declared.

Yajima nodded, "It was a close fight, one that I wish I could've seen to the end, but we can't watch them cut each other to ribbons all day."

"COOL!" Jason screamed.

**/**

Sting let out a tense breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding in, "A draw, huh…Well, five points isn't so bad…"

"My heart was in my mouth…" Lucy sighed.

Gray shrugged, "It's too bad time ran out, but Erza would've won anyways."

Rogue's eyes were narrowed. _Would she really? If Kagura had time to unsheathe her sword…_

**/**

Kagura walked past Erza silently. Titania caught her eye as she passed, "Our bet is irrelevant since it turned out as a draw."

"This is not the end. I _will _find Jellal, Erza Scarlet, mark my words." Kagura retorted, leaving the arena with an air of indifference.

**/**

"With the final battle of day two over, we'll now post the current rankings!" Chapati announced.

**/**

**1st. Raven Tail (31pt.)**

**2nd. Sabertooth (30pt.)**

**3rd. Fairy Tail B (25pt.)**

**4th. Fairy Tail A (16pt.)**

**5th. Blue Pegasus (15pt.)**

**6th. Lamia Scale (11pt.)**

**7th. Quatro Puppy (10pt.)**

**8th. Mermaid Heel (8pt.)**

**/**

"Unbelievable! Raven Tail has stolen Sabertooth's crown! Can Fiore's strongest guild reclaim it?! Or will Fairy Tail, rising quickly in the rankings, manage to claim it for themselves?!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima nodded, "It seems these next few days are going to have some intense battles between those three guilds…But that doesn't mean we should forget the other four in the competition! Slow and steady may yet win the race!"

"They're all so COOL!" Jason screamed.

Chapati cleared his throat, "With that, day two has been concluded! Our competitors should rest up for tomorrow and come back ready to rumble! Look forward to it!"

The crowd cheered with the conclusion and started to filter out of the stadium.

**/**

Rocker and the rest of his team blanched at the scoreboard, "Um..our guild's name..it became Quatro Puppy…"

Bacchus roared with laughter, "Can't be helped! It was a bet between men! Gahahahaha!"

**/**

Jellal shook his head in bewilderment. _What's going on here? Two days have passed, yet the magical energy we feel every year has not shown itself…_

**_/_**

Natsu watched Kagura walk off the field intently. He'd heard their last exchange of words as well.

_I don't know why you're after Jellal, but I'll find out, if Erza doesn't first. _

Frosch poked him with a stick.

Natsu recoiled and stared at her, "What was that for?!"

"You spaced out again." Lisanna said, a little amused, but also concerned, "Are you sure you're alright? You've been kinda out of it since the fight started…"

Natsu sighed, "Yeah. I'm just tired…I think I'll turn in early."

Happy blinked and used Frosch's stick to clean his ears for a moment, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I think I just heard you say you wanted to go to bed early."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said, taking her stick back and whacking Happy over the head with the piece of wood for using it to clean his ears.

Natsu laughed, "Well, that fight earlier wasn't easy…Don't worry about it, I'll hang with you guys tomorrow! Come on, let's go!"

He walked off with Happy and the others behind him, but Lisanna stared. _Go to bed early? That's not something Natsu usually does…What happened? Is he really just tired? _

After a moment of consideration, she followed the rest of her guild. _I'll find out, Natsu. You're no good at hiding things from me._

**/**

Arcadios walked down the halls of Mercurius, but a voice halted him, "Chief Arcadios."

He glanced behind him to see a short old man facing him, "Minister of Defense, Darton."

"Exactly what is it you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Arcadios frowned, "What do you mean?"

The old man sighed, "I'm not a fool. You tried to obtain one of the Celestial Mages earlier. Isn't that rather premature?"

Arcadios turned completely to face him, "I wanted to try a test run as quickly as possible."

Darton shook his head, "Too early! It's not even completed yet!"

"Sir, your voice is a little loud. But more importantly…" Arcadios grinned, "It's already finished."

Darton visibly paled, "I beg your pardon?!"

The Squadron Chief nodded, "It was for the sake of the budget that we said it was incomplete. As long as the Celestial Mages are still present, we'll be able to use Eclipse."

"That's preposterous…You finished something like that in a mere seven years…" Darton whispered.

Arcadios turned away, "It's common knowledge that you are opposed to this plan, but we cannot stop now that we've come so far."

The old man sweated nervously, "What sort of demon are you?!"

Arcadios laughed, "For the sake of his King and country, a man can become a demon or even a god. For the sake of changing the world, a single girl's life is rather cheap."

**/**

The King was in his library, frowning as he went through records. He muttered to himself, "The Salamander wasn't the strongest Dragon Slayer nine years ago? I have yet to see any records here of any Dragon Slayer that was beyond him at that time…"

He sighed and put the record in his hand aside, reaching for another covered in dust, "Arcadios, you've always had an odd sense of humor, but pulling my leg like this is-!"

The King froze, staring at a description in the record he held. After a few minutes of reading it, then reading it over again to confirm it was real, the short man put the record down with shaky fingers.

_Such an event really occurred…I..do not know if what happened makes him stronger than the Salamander, but…that..would it be right to even call him a human?! One who could wreak such terror..._

**/**

_That was the end of the Grand Magic Game's second day. Five more days to the fated day._


	30. Secrets in the Night

**One of the rare chapters I write in the middle of an arc that is mostly fluff. I probably won't write another one like this for a long time, at least, not for the pair in this chapter. I may do another one like this later for another pair. Who would that be? Well, you'll have to wait and see!**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 30: Secrets in the Night_

"Truly pitiful. It's too much to even tear up about. Trash!"

A large, muscular old man sat on a sofa as he ate, facing his group of mages. He put down some fruit and glared at them fiercely, "I want you to think very carefully about why we're at the top of magic guilds. You don't look at the fodder around you. You don't speak to them. Just crush them. But we are something greater…Making the skies roar..the earth boil..the seas silent. _That _is Sabertooth."

The mages bowed, "Yes, Master Gemma."

Gemma grunted, "Zancrow."

"Yes sir." he replied, stepping forward.

Gemma stood up and stared down at him, "I will grant you one more chance. Do not presume you can make such a pathetic scene a second time. That said…" He beckoned with one hand, "Remove your shirt."

Zancrow nodded obediently and threw his shirt aside.

Gemma stepped around the table, "I cannot allow such an disgrace to go unpunished. You realize this, yes?"

Zancrow bowed his head, "I do, Master."

"Then prepare yourself. Rustyrose." he rumbled.

Said mage smiled and flicked his hand, creating chains which sprouted from the floor and restrained Zancrow's arms and legs. Gemma stepped forward towards the bound mage.

He swung a fist and connected with Zancrow's stomach, making him grunt in pain. "One." The Master punched him again, this time cracking ribs, "Two."

Zancrow gasped, but refused to budge, gritting his teeth as Gemma started hammering him in the chest, shoulders, and face mercilessly. The Guild Master counted to twenty five before he motioned to Rustyrose to remove the chains. Zancrow staggered, but retained his footing, bloodied and bruised and gasping for breath.

Gemma stared down at him, "Do you understand now?"

"Yes..Mas…ter!" he managed.

The fist came back again as Gemma grunted with displeasure, "I cannot hear weakness." He swung at him, but Zancrow caught his fist and stopped him.

The mages behind him muttered uncomfortably.

Zancrow caught his breath, gripping his Master's fist hard until both of their knuckles cracked. He glared up furiously, "I..am not..weak!"

Gemma studied him closely for a few moments, then turned away, prompting Zancrow to release him. The old man took a seat at his sofa again, glancing at Zancrow one more time, "Leave. I do not want to see your face until tomorrow morning."

Zancrow said nothing, just walked out of the building with as much dignity as he could manage, picking up his shirt as he left.

**/**

As the Sabertooth mages separated, Orga grunted, "Master sure takes things to the extreme, eh?"

"It's how he's kept our guild at the top for so long." Minerva said matter of factly.

Rufus sighed, "Well, at least it wasn't a total disaster for today…That said, Zancrow..he hasn't been himself lately."

Orga snorted, "You just noticed? Maybe it's because all we've been fighting lately are fodder, but I don't think he's been going all out for a long time. If he was, he wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake during the competition today."

Rustyrose made a dramatic hand motion, "That was truly a hideous performance. For his sake, I hope he gets his act together."

**/**

Meredy glanced towards the city, staring over the lights as midnight approached. She frowned. _Just now…I could sense an incredible amount of pain from a person…_

Looking over at Ultear, who was asleep, she quietly pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled down a few words before slinking away. _It won't hurt to investigate…If someone's hurt, I need to see if I can help them. _

The sky rumbled loudly, making her sigh. _Great. It's going to be a rainy reconnaissance, huh?_

**/**

"Cheers!"

Fairy Tail was once again partying at the bar, celebrating after having claimed third and fourth place on the second day.

Sting stretched and cracked his neck, "Not a bad day, huh?"

Lucy nodded, "Everyone did their best!"

"I think they did great!" Wendy put in.

Juvia was giving Gray lovey dovey looks, "Gray, you were amazing today!"

He shrugged, "Not really. Lyon still got ahead of me. And Ur, and that Raven Tail bastard…"

Erza patted him on the shoulder, "Cheer up. We don't have time to gripe over a few points. You'll get another chance to prove how much stronger you've gotten."

Gray nodded and stood up, tossing his shirt aside with a grin, "Alright, I'm gonna kick ass tomorrow, so who wants a fight?!"

Gajeel smirked, "I'll take you up on that."

"So will I!" Sting laughed.

The three charged each other, then skidded to a stop and frowned.

Gajeel blinked, "Oi, usually…"

"Something's missing…" Gray muttered.

Sting glanced around, "Oi, Natsu! Aren't you all fired up?!"

There was no sign of the Salamander in the bar.

Gray scratched his head, "That's weird…"

Happy flew over, "I think he said something about going to sleep early."

"Ah?! What a pansy!" Gajeel growled.

Rogue looked around, "You know, I haven't seen him for a while…"

Yukino nodded, "Lisanna's missing too."

Suddenly suspicious, Happy took a moment to confirm that fact and then put his paws over his mouth slyly, "Oh, I'll bet they're…bufufufufufufufu!"

"What the hell are you imagining?!" Lucy shrieked.

Lector sighed, "Seriously, where _are _they?"

**/**

Natsu got out of the shower and stretched his sore muscles. His injuries from the fight with Bacchus were already mostly gone, but his ribs in particular still hurt a little, though not seriously.

He had just changed into a pair of long pants when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Natsu answered. Lisanna walked in, closing the door and locking it behind her. He raised an eyebrow at that, "What are you up to?"

"Take it easy, mister. I'm not here to punish you, or anything." she said with amusement. She walked over to the edge of the bed where he was sitting and sat next to him, pouting a little.

Natsu shifted at her expression, "What's wrong?"

Lisanna was silent for a bit, then murmured quietly, "What's bothering you? You're never too tired for celebrating with the rest of the guild…"

He blinked and looked up at the ceiling, "Well…I guess if you keep it a secret…"

"I won't tell anyone, whatever it is." she promised.

Natsu frowned a little as he stared upwards, "See, it's like this…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Once he finished explaining, Lisanna chewed her lip thoughtfully, "How does she even know Jellal? I was under the impression he kept away from most people…"

"So was I, but apparently not. She knew who he was, alright. And she knew Erza would probably have information on where he was." Natsu muttered.

Lisanna sighed, "Well, Erza will probably look into that herself. Shouldn't we focus on what Charle told us?"

He was quiet for a bit, then shook his head, "I don't even know…Do we keep an eye on Lucy, do we keep an eye on Jellal, or Kagura, or Raven Tail, or what? Geez, what happened to having a huge, fun battle royale? Why's there all this nasty behind the scenes cloak and dagger stuff going on?"

Lisanna laughed, "It's been some day, huh? Finding out about Charle's vision, about Kagura, and then your fight with Bacchus…It's only the second day, and there's so much happening…"

"Great. Three more days of all this annoying stuff. Will I ever get to enjoy the fun?" he grumbled, casting his gaze to the floor.

Lisanna smiled and surprised him by getting up and taking a seat in his lap, "It sounds like you need something to cheer you up. Interested?"

Natsu stared at her for a moment, then slightly reddened as he processed that question, "Um..I don't know…"

Lisanna wasn't discouraged by his apprehension. In fact she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips for a moment before pulling away slightly, and frowning a little, "You know, we didn't have much time when we finally managed to admit how we felt..it's not fair…Dragon Slayers are supposed to get a little crazy when their connection is made, right?"

Natsu stayed very still, keeping his breathing steady. Lisanna caressed his face gently, then kissed his cheek, "The door's locked. No one will bother us..they're all out doing other stuff. We could catch up…"

"…If your brother finds out, he's going to kill me." Natsu managed.

She smiled mischievously, "But you're injured. And real men don't hurt injured people."

That made him laugh, and made Lisanna's smile grow wider until she framed his face with her hands and got him look into her azure orbs, "It's fine…just try and forget about all that other stuff for now…"

Natsu swallowed nervously, "I don't really know much about this kind of thing…"

She shrugged, "That's okay. I don't either, you know. Just do what feels right…"

His face reddened further and he stammered, "Well, I-"

"Natsu." she interrupted. He stared at her as she pressed her forehead against his and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?" After a moment of staring, he nodded wordlessly and made Lisanna smile, "You saved me from something terrible today. So kiss me."

He met her lips slowly, tentatively placing his hands on her waist to bring her closer. She responded with the same slow motion as she wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Natsu's hands started rubbing her back, relaxing her body as they heated up Lisanna and made her melt into him as her fingers reached behind his head to grasp and play with his spiky rose hair.

After a few seconds, Natsu seemed to become more at ease and kissed her harder while he swallowed her soft sighs. Eventually, Lisanna broke first and gasped for air.

He leaned in and latched onto her neck, making her inhale sharply from the sensation and whisper, "Natsu…"

Natsu removed his jaws from her neck and kissed the sore skin, causing her to shiver from delight. He started kissing and biting her throat as he relished the sweet taste of her soft skin. Lisanna trembled in his grasp, eyes half closed from losing herself to the feeling. His hands fell to her waist and ran up under her shirt, making her gasp as his fingers trailed warmth along her stomach. She wriggled at his touch and arched against him to make the heat find more of her bare skin.

He rested his forehead on her shoulder and breathed in her air. Lisanna's scent was lush, soothing, and made him feel more complete, like every problem in his life could be fixed just by being close to her.

Her legs shifted slightly as his warm fingers trailed further up, then paused and slid to her sides. She was slightly amused by his hesitation, but seized his lips with surprising force, making him stop completely.

This was one of the things Natsu loved about her the most, how she let him know she was in control, too. Lisanna wasn't just his mate, she was his match. Wild and untamed, just like him when she wanted to be. Maybe a tigress wasn't as strong as a dragon, but she could always match him with passion and ferocity.

Now she arched and pressed the bare skin of her stomach to him as she lifted her shirt over her head and set it aside.

Natsu's face burned bright crimson when he realized she was only wearing her white bra. Even though she was incredibly red too, Lisanna couldn't help but laugh at his expression, "Ahaha! You are _so _cute when you blush!"

She kissed him again, bringing him in close, but then something in him just snapped. Natsu couldn't tell what the reason was, nor did he really care, but he suddenly felt his will break and let his instincts take over.

He kissed her hard, making her gasp from the force. Before she could react at all, Natsu fell back into the bed and rolled over quickly so he was on propped up above her, kissing her furiously as she struggled to keep up. Lisanna threw her arms over his shoulders and pulled up to press herself against him as their lips clashed in a maddened frenzy.

When she slumped down for breath, Natsu leaned down and sucked on her collarbone.

Lisanna squirmed and whined, "H-hey! Quit it, th-that isn't fair…"

Natsu pulled back and gave her a cheeky grin, "Last time I checked, all's fair in love and war..or do you just want me to take it easy against a weaker opponent?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you really wanna go there?"

Natsu answered by kissing her again and lowering himself on top of her so she was pressed into the bed. The heat emanating from him was so inhumanly high it was suffocating. Lisanna broke free of his hunger for a moment and managed to make him roll over so she was lying on his chest.

She took the chance to catch her breath, but then Natsu put his hands on the small of her back and started sliding his fingers over her smooth skin, warming her up wherever he went.

Lisanna trembled as her body began to succumb to the incredible feeling, getting a smirk out of Natsu as she fell prey to his touch, "Have you had enough? Or should I make you burn?"

The weak glare she gave him said instantly her answer was the latter.

One of his hands came up to her shoulders and fingered the strap keeping her bra in place. Natsu watched her carefully, his voice etched with nervousness, "Do you…? If I'm going too fast, just tell me…"

Lisanna bit her lip, but shook her head with a small voice, "I don't mind…"

He stared up at her for a little while longer, then slowly undid the strap and let the cords fall to the side. Natsu's hands slipped up her sides and brushed the newly exposed flesh with intense heat. Lisanna gasped, staring down at him with her mouth slightly open as her breathing quickened and her eyes became lidded.

Complete and total desire consumed Natsu as he watched her expression change. He whispered tensely, "Anna…If..if this goes on much longer…I'm not sure I could stop..."

"Then..don't…You're killing me..here…" she begged.

Natsu would've snapped right there. The way she said that drove him wild.

Then there was a knock at the door.

The lovers froze where they were. Lisanna whimpered as the heat paused, "No…"

Staying in their current position was sending him over the edge, but Natsu almost lost it when he heard the desperation in her voice. That said, he he couldn't resist her completely after that, and kissed her again despite the knock at the door.

The voice that called tentatively from the other side of the door was Erza's, "Natsu? Are you finished showering? I need to get in there."

Natsu managed to tear his mouth away from Lisanna and snapped back irritably, "Is it absolutely important? Can you live without it for a while?"

Her reply was surprised, then slightly edged, "I need to get some money from my bag…Why is the door locked? What are you doing in there?"

"If I give you the money, will you go away?" he demanded.

Erza was quiet for a bit.

Then suddenly, "I'm coming in. Stand away from the door."

There was a bang, then Natsu roared and Lisanna shrieked as Erza burst into the room. The Requip mage saw them and stared for a while.

All three of them became impossibly red, but Lisanna was radiating so much heat, even Natsu could tell the difference.

Luckily, he hadn't removed the thin cloth pinned between her breasts and his chest, but the sight of Natsu lying under a basically topless Lisanna made Erza blush furiously and stammer, "O-o-oh! I-I uh, I'm sorry! Umm, uhhh!..!"

Erza was utterly defeated by them, crumpling into a heap at the floor as she promptly fainted.

Natsu growled, "Oh, perfect."

Lisanna rolled off of him, crossing her arms over her exposed upper half as her voice rose to a wail, "Oh, that's so embarrassing!"

Natsu quickly retrieved her clothing while she temporarily covered herself with blankets.

Lisanna wasted no time putting her bra and shirt back on, and not a moment too soon as Gray walked in a few minutes later and stared at the scene, "What the hell happened here? Did you kill Erza or something?"

"Well…in a manner of speaking…" Natsu muttered slowly from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

Lisanna blushed intensely next to him, still bunching the blankets up at her front self-consciously.

They looked like two naughty kids about to get punished, but Gray couldn't take a hint and shrugged, "When she comes back to life, tell her we have cake."

Erza woke up immediately, "Cake? Where? What just-!" She slowly turned to stare at the guilty couple and pointed a shaky finger at them, "You two..just now..weren't you…?"

Natsu tensed and Lisanna's face went even more crimson.

Gray glanced at them and then at Erza, "What's up, Erza?"

"…I need cake. And sake. Bring me some, now!" she demanded. Erza rushed out of the room with Gray and left the couple alone again.

Lisanna sighed, "I didn't know Erza was back..and now the door's broken…"

"Dammit, I can't believe she just busted in like that…" Natsu muttered.

Lisanna smiled and leaned into his chest, "It was nice while it lasted, though. You really know how to make a girl feel amazing, Natsu."

His face flushed intensely, which she found positively adorable. "Aww, you're so cute when you blush!" she teased.

"I-I am not blushing!" he growled weakly. She laughed as he scrambled for an excuse, but he never stood a chance once she caught him like this.

Lisanna snuggled into his arms, loving how safe it made her feel, "Mmm…Why are you so warm?"

Natsu didn't answer for a while, then leaned back and took her with him so they were lying on the bed together. He whispered in her ear softly, "I guess..because I'm your dragon."

Lisanna closed her eyes with a smile, still able to feel his lips on her skin, "My dragon, huh…"

**/**

Zancrow sat down on a bench at the edge of the city, nursing his wounds and injured pride as best he could.

Gemma had not been light with him this time. He winced as he felt an intense pain in his ribs.

_Damn, they're cracked…How the hell does he want me to fight if I can't even move without pain?! _

Zancrow continued to treat his injuries as best he could, but it started to rain as he did so, making him glare at the sky. "Oh, joy." he muttered.

The streets cleared out quickly, but he was too hurt and miserable to move, so he sat there as the drizzle became a downpour and resigned himself to a night of cold and wet.

**/**

Meredy had other plans. She tracked down the source of the agony she'd felt earlier to the teenage God Slayer and observed him quietly from a distance for several minutes, assessing the situation before her with a little surprise.

_That guy's from Sabertooth! What's he doing out here?_

He was clearly hurt-maybe severely, but she couldn't tell why he remained in the open and in the rain. A wounded person or creature's first instinct was typically to seek shelter, but Zancrow was doing the entire opposite.

After deciding it was safe to approach, Meredy walked towards him with her hood over her head.

He looked up as she came over, eyeing her warily, "Who're you?"

She looked him over and replied quietly, "You're hurt. What happened to you?"

Zancrow snorted, "It's none of your concern. You should just go away."

Meredy shook her head, "I can't leave an injured person in the rain like this. Can you walk?"

He thought about telling her to get lost, but something in her tone made it clear he wasn't going to get away, and he was in no mood for a fight. Zancrow sighed and nodded in an attempt to conserve what dignity he had left, "I can walk."

**/**

Well, he tried to, anyways. A few streets down, and it was clear he was having trouble.

Meredy sighed and caught him once he almost fell over, "Honestly, men are so stubborn…"

She put one of his arms over her shoulder and half-carried him into a small hotel, setting him down for a moment while she got a room, then helped him up to the highest floor in the building. Meredy set him down on the edge of the bed while she pulled out some bandages from her pack.

Zancrow watched her wordlessly, never once asking what she was up to. She came over with the bandages and a salve, then began treating his most severe injuries. When asked, he shrugged off his shirt when she needed to get at his ribs, but once she saw the extent of the damage, even Meredy felt a little sick.

Her voice became hoarse, "What on earth happened to you? You're one of Sabertooth's elite, so what kind of opponent could've...?"

Zancrow looked away, "I screwed up, so I was punished. That's all there is to it."

She blinked at him, "You're talking about the Chariot event today…Wait, did your..your _Master _did this to you?!"

"What of it?!" he snapped, then winced as his ribs burned sharply. Meredy poked his ribs with a finger and murmured something too quietly for him to hear. The digit became enveloped in violet light and made Zancrow stiffen and growl, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking the pain away. These'll take time to heal, but you won't be able to compete if you're in constant agony like this." she explained.

Zancrow was surprised to say the least, but what she said was true, as the pain in his body was quickly fading away and making it easier for him to talk and move.

He looked her over quietly as she concentrated with her magic. "Why are you helping me?" he asked.

Meredy didn't look up at him, just murmured a response, "Because I can't just stand by watching someone who is in pain. I've been through more of it than most people, so I know how bad it gets…If I can help someone's pain go away, I'll do what I can."

Zancrow frowned, "That gives me another question: Who are you? I don't know your name, or anything."

She laughed a little, "It's not important."

"Yes it is. Tell me your name." he asked again.

Meredy looked up at him cautiously. He looked determined, but honest. _Well...Just knowing my name couldn't hurt…_

She whispered her answer, "Meredy."

He nodded slightly, "I'm Zancrow. Thanks for helping me."

Meredy's eyes widened in surprise. _Wow, that's completely different from what I'd expect from a Sabertooth mage..Well, I can't say I actually know him, but..Zancrow, huh…He's not that bad. _

After she finished removing the pain from his body, Meredy bandaged the worst of his injuries and sat down tiredly, "Okay…that should do it.."

Zancrow stared at her, "Are you alright? That looks like it used up a ton of magic power…"

"I-I'm fine, just a little..sleepy…"

Meredy almost fell over, but he caught her and lifted the exhausted girl up, smirking when he realized she was asleep already, "Using up all that power for a sorry guy like me, huh…You idiot. You've got my thanks for that, Meredy."

He set her down on the bed and grabbed a nearby pen and paper, scribbling a short note, then left it on the counter before heading out the door. He could see faint light outside, so he'd have to be at the guild soon. Zancrow glanced at Meredy again before leaving her to sleep.

**/**

Gray stared as Erza finished her cake with unusual speed and then went through a bottle of sake even faster. Lyon and Chelia had arrived to harass him earlier, but everyone in the bar was totally focused on Erza.

Nearby, Elfman stammered, "Oi, oi, what happened to make you go nuts like this?"

Erza gasped loudly and startled the whole bar, "Th-those two..they were..! Shit! I'm out of sake! Bring me MORE! I wanna be so dead drunk I won't remember that I interrupted something so intimate!"

As if on cue, Cana and Bacchus arrived in response to the drinking challenge and started going through sake with ridiculous speed.

Gray scratched his head, "What the hell were they doing in there?"

"Who?" Levy asked.

He shrugged, "Erza was passed out in the room Natsu and Lisanna were in. Dunno what their deal was, but they were all red and acting funny."

Gajeel started choking and beat his chest furiously until he forced an iron bolt down his throat and gasped, whipping around to stare at Gray, "Dude, are you retarded, or something?!"

"What was that?!" Gray yelled.

Levy was blushing furiously, "Is it not _obvious _what was going on?!"

The pathetically clueless Ice Mage shrugged, "No, it's not! What the hell are you guys-"

"Gray."

Lector interrupted him with a sigh, "Even though you're a stripper, that's just sad."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch agreed.

Gray yelled in frustration, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS TALKIN' ABOUT?!"

Lyon glanced at Ur, "Have you given him, "The talk" yet?"

Ur shook her head, "What am I, his mother? He can find out for himself."

Gray was suddenly suspicious, "Oi, what does, "The talk" have anything to do with this?"

Levy facepalmed, "It's got _everything _to do with this."

"It's love!" Chelia put in.

After a few more moments of frustration, something must have clicked in Gray's head, because he went crimson and steam started blowing out of his ears as he choked, "Oh, my god…"

At the bar, Cana held her sides and cried as she laughed hysterically, pointing at Gray with a shaky finger, "Th-the look on your face! Someone take a picture, it's priceless! Ahahahahaha!"

Bacchus put a hand on Erza's shoulder with a huge grin, "No wonder Erza's freakin' the hell out! Can you picture her face, walking in on something like that?!"

"I DON'T WANNA PICTURE IT, I WANNA FORGET IT!" she shrieked, grabbing another bottle of sake while the majority of the room roared with hysterics.

Elfman, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to murder something…or rather, some_one. "Natsu…you bastard...I should just kill you now…" _

Mira sighed with a smile, "Elfman, don't get too mad. Love happens naturally. You want Lisanna to be happy, right? Then let him live. Don't even cripple him. Actually, don't try to attack Natsu, period. Does anyone know a good way to keep an overprotective sibling from beating the pulp out of your sister's, uh..mate?"

Beside a passed-out Yukino, Rogue got a dark glint in his eyes along with a small smirk, "Killing them works…"

Lucy gulped and shrank behind Sting as she muttered, "…Evil…"

Sting stared at him, "You've gotten awfully aggressive lately, you know that?"

Rogue shrugged, "I haven't noticed any difference." The way he glanced at the passed-out Yukino with thoughtfulness a moment later said otherwise.

Lucy whispered in Sting's ear, "You're not gonna drool over me like that, right?"

"Depends on how hungry I am."

He answered with a grin, making her blush furiously and gasp, "BEAST!"

Gray eventually recovered from his shocking realization and sighed at the sight of Erza downing another bottle of sake, "Someone stop her, she can't handle alcohol at all…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

About an hour and countless sake bottles later, to everyone's astonishment, Erza drank Cana under the table and then passed out alongside Bacchus.

Gray and Sting screeched, **"IS THIS HAPPENING?!" **

Lucy's jaw had hit the floor a long time ago, "Sh-she..beat Cana…"

"She's gonna have the worst hangover when she wakes up…" Levy muttered.

Gajeel shuddered, "Damn, am I glad I'm on B Team…"

Laxus stared at him, "Ya think?!"

Lucy cried, "Someone help me…Juvia, why don't you switch? You can be with Gray…"

Unfortunately for her, Juvia was unconscious and currently being poked by Frosch's stick as the green exceed experimented with her water body.

Elfman stared at Erza in shock, "What a man…"

Evergreen proceeded to smack him over the head with her fan, "She's a woman!"

Mira laughed, "Who would've thought breaking in on Lisanna and Natsu would cause this…"

**/**

Up in the hotel room, Natsu and Lisanna woke up and sneezed, glancing around sleepily until their gazes rested on each other. After the..interruption, they'd decided to just call it a night, so the pair had fallen asleep soon afterwards.

Lisanna rubbed her face tiredly, "Did you hear something?"

"Dunno…Kinda felt like someone was talking about me." he muttered.

She glanced at the clock and sighed, "Four o' clock? Seriously?" Lisanna fell back onto the mattress with a groan, "I'm going back to sleep…"

"Right behind you…" Natsu yawned, then also went back down and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close to him. Lisanna sighed contentedly and closed her eyes again, falling asleep in no time.

Natsu kept an eye open for a bit, just watching her, but also contemplating how to avoid a future interruption. After a few minutes of thought, right before he fell asleep, he came up with a crazy, totally Natsu idea.

_I'll weld the door shut next time._


	31. Pandemonium

**When I read Pandemonium in the manga, my first thought was: I MUST see this animated! Either way, Erza is a beast. Hmm...Yep, that's it! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 31: Pandemonium_

Meredy woke up and glanced around, sitting up rapidly when she discovered she was in a hotel room, but then she remembered the events of the night before and relaxed. Zancrow wasn't there anymore, though someone else was.

Ultear sighed as she woke up, "You went to an awful lot of trouble for a Sabertooth mage. Honestly, until I found that note you left, Jellal and I were freaking out thinking you'd been captured or something."

Meredy rolled her eyes, but smiled, "Easy, momma. Don't go all grey just yet."

"Haha, so funny." Ultear retorted sarcastically, but then smirked, holding a piece of paper in her hands, "So…This Sabertooth guy..he cared enough to leave you a little goodbye letter…"

Meredy stared at it, then at Ultear with suspicion, "Ul..what are you..?"

Said woman held the note high and read it out loud, the corners of her mouth curling up in a devilish grin, "Meredy, thanks a lot, I'll pay you back sometime. From, Zancrow."

Meredy relaxed, "That's not so bad-"

"Oh, I wasn't finished." Ultear interrupted, looking decidedly evil with delight, "P.S: Don't pass out like that again. Most guys here aren't nice enough to leave a pretty girl like you without a, "Parting gift" if you catch on."

Meredy blushed furiously and choked, "You..!"

Ultear cackled, "You should see your face!"

"That isn't funny, Ul!" she wailed.

"It is surprising though. Huh…"

A quiet chuckle behind her made Meredy turn towards the window to see Jellal staring out at the colosseum in the distance, looking rather thoughtful, "Zancrow Ignotius, eh…" Jellal smiled slightly, "Perhaps he's more honest than I was led to believe…"

**/**

"Welcome everyone, to the third day of the Grand Magic Games! We've reached the halfway point of the competition here, so expect some fierce activities!"

The crowd cheered at Chapati's announcement, then waited as he continued, "Our third day's guest is Lahar from the Magic Council! Lahar, your position is Captain of the Custody Enforcement Squad, isn't it?"

Lahar nodded, "Indeed. I will not allow any dishonest activities in the games."

**/**

The crowd laughed, but in the stands, Doranbalt sighed. _Lahar..making me come with you like this…Though it's true I want to see Fairy Tail alive and well…_

**/**

"The third day's competition is called Pandemonium! Again, send in one participant from each team!" Chapati instructed.

**/**

"I'm going…" Erza muttered, still a little woozy from her hangover.

Lucy protested, "Are you sure? Erza, maybe it's best if-eek!"

Erza gave her a look of thunder and declared, **"I'm going."**

"Y-yes ma'am!" Lucy yelped.

Gray sighed as Erza walked off to the field, "Do you think we can disqualify Natsu's team for outside interference?"

Sting looked at him like he was crazy, "Uhh…Just going out on a limb here, but I'm _pretty sure _Natsu would kill you if you told the game directors Erza wasn't at 100% because she walked in on him and Lisanna…"

Rogue nodded, "Besides, without them, these games wouldn't be as entertaining. And more importantly, Erza doesn't remember what happened yesterday, right? She drank so much she forgot."

"That's true…" Gray admitted.

**/**

"Fairy Tail A Team sends in Erza Scarlet!"

**/**

Laxus cracked his neck, "I'm going in, then. Thanks for crippling Erza, Natsu."

"Yeah, good job. Gee-hee!" Gajeel cackle.

Natsu reddened and cursed both of them, "Shut the hell up, you bastards!"

Mira laughed, "Lisanna was right, you _are _cute when you blush."

Laxus glanced at her, then at Natsu and shrugged, "He looks like an idiot."

Ur smirked, "Oh? Are you being honest, or jealous?"

The mage in question glared at her, but didn't dare to talk back.

Natsu held his hands up, "Oh, hell no. Elfman was trying to strangle me this morning, I do NOT need Laxus trying to put me in an electric chair."

"That sounds interesting." Laxus muttered, turning to walk away onto the field.

Mira, however, decided to spare Natsu the horrors of having two angry monsters after his life and cheered, "Good luck, Laxus!"

That seemed to make the lightning mage a little less grumpy, as he stood a little straighter.

**/**

"Fairy Tail B Team is going with Laxus Dreyar!"

**/**

Milianna glanced at Kagura, "If Erza's going in, do you mind if I join too?"

"I'll permit it." Kagura decided.

**/**

"From Mermaid Heel, it's Milianna!"

**/**

The cat girl ran out onto the field and beside Erza with a smile and a thumbs-up, "Don't lose, Erza!"

Erza smiled at her, "Of course not." She frowned slightly as she remembered their reunion two nights ago, then clapped the sides of her face, "I have to concentrate!"

**/**

"We're in front of a council member. Don't do anything unnecessary, Obra." Alexei murmured.

Obra nodded and walked out.

**/**

"Raven Tail chooses Obra!"

**/**

Hibiki smiled, "I'll be going for Pegasus."

His team and a mass of fangirls cheered wildly.

**/**

"Hibiki Lates is representing Blue Pegasus!"

**/**

Orga grunted, "Laxus is going in, huh…Alright, then so will I. I'll turn everyone into black lightning chili."

Minerva smirked, "Without even knowing what kind of competition it's going to be?"

"Fufufu…" Rufus chuckled.

Zancrow looked across the field and glared at Natsu. _Whatever. If Natsu isn't going out, I could care less. _

**/**

"Sabertooth chooses the Lightning God! Orga Nanagear is stepping onto the field!"

**/**

Chelia smiled fiercely, "Orga, huh…Okay, I'll go out!"

"Do your best!" Jura said with a smile.

Lyon smirked, "That lightning freak has no idea what's about to hit him."

Toby cried, "My socks…"

"Just buy new ones!" Yuuka grunted.

**/**

"So cute! Lamia Scale selects Chelia Blendy as their participant!" Sounds of adoration echoed throughout the crowd.

"And from Quatro Puppy, Novally is here as well!" The man came out with the rest of the competitors, looking a little less wild than he probably was normally.

"Everyone, please meet Mato in the center of the arena!" Chapati instructed.

**/**

When the competitors gathered around the short, pumpkin-headed man, he smiled and waved, "Yesterday was my day off. My apologies. Now, I'll explain how Pandemonium works."

A mass of magic power suddenly burst from the earth and formed a giant, malevolent looking castle.

Mato pointed at it, "This is the temple where evil monsters nest. This is Pandemonium."

Erza's eyes widened, "Th-this is…"

"Awesome…" Milianna gasped.

"Commencing analysis…" Hibiki murmured, activating his Archive with a smile.

"W-wild…" Novally muttered.

Laxus and Orga stared up at it with disinterest.

Chelia glanced at Mato, "Where monsters nest?"

The Pumpkin man nodded, "That's the setting-kabo! Within the temple, there are 100 monsters. Well, we call them that, but they're really just magical tools we created. They won't go after the audience or anything, so don't worry!"

His words calmed the now nervous crowd. Mato continued, "The monsters are divided into five battle classes: D, C, B, A, and S! With the specifics set like this!"

**/**

**S x 1**

**A x 4**

**B x 15**

**C x 30**

**D x 50**

**/**

"Incidentally, in regards to how powerful D-Class monsters are…"

A lacrima screen popped up with a camera inside the temple, where a massive, hound-like creature snarled and jumped at a stone statue, easily destroying it in one swipe.

The crowd recoiled at the sight as Mato went on, "Ones like that and even stronger ones…the place where 100 of them are lurking, that's Pandemonium-kabo! The S-Class monster is so powerful that even one of the Wizard Saints can't be guaranteed to defeat it."

**/**

Lucy and Gray looked uneasy, and even Sting swallowed nervously, but Rogue swore, "Dammit, I should've gone in for this…"

"You _want _to get in on that monstrosity?!" Lucy shrieked.

**/**

Mato continued, "In order, each of you will take turns selecting a number of monsters to fight with. That's called your Challenge Right. For example, if one person selects three monsters, then that's how many will show up in the temple. If that person succeeds in defeating them, then he or she gets three points and the next competitor goes in and can choose from amongst the 97 remaining monsters. This will continue until all the monsters are defeated, or until everyone's magic power reaches zero. At that point, the the competition will end."

Milianna smiled, "So, it's like a counting game."

Mato nodded, "Exactly. Situational judgement becomes important. Remember, the monsters have ranks, but no matter how many monsters you choose, the ranks are always random-kabo. If you're extremely unlucky, you might choose two and end up with the S-Class!"

Hibiki glanced over from his Archive, "Then some sort of battle strategy to avoid drawing the S-Class monster is necessary."

"If it's random, that strategy wouldn't work." Orga dismissed with a snort.

Hibiki shook his head, "Not quite. With probability theory and my Archive, strategy will work to some extent."

Mato held his hands up, "Points are given for the number of monsters defeated, regardless of their rank. Once you enter, you cannot withdraw until you've won or been defeated. If you happen to go down inside the temple, the number of points you've earned up until that turn will remain as they are. The number of victories for that turn, however, will be counted as zero, and you'll exit like that."

**/**

Pantherlily scratched his chin, "So, it's bad to be too greedy, then."

"But still, if you choose just one monster per turn, the others will gain on you." Lector argued.

Charle tapped her foot nervously, "You also have to consider your magic power recovery through the next turn…"

Happy's tail swished, "It's a lot harder than it sounds…"

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch said, a little subdued.

**/**

A box of sticks appeared in Mato's hands, which he held out, "Please draw your lots, everyone!"

The competitors did so, and a number appeared on the sticks as they were drawn.

Erza eyed her's and started, "Number one."

"Lucky. You'll have more turns than the others. Damned number eight…" Laxus grumbled.

Erza sighed, "I figured this would come down to getting lucky…"

Mato glanced at her, "Lucky? No…It's more about maintaining pace and situational judgement than who goes first."

Erza smiled, "No. Not with this..it's not just a game anymore."

Mato stared as she walked towards the temple, throwing the proclamation over her shoulder casually:

**"I'm talking them all. My Challenge Right is 100."**

The stadium froze and processed that.

Then, "EHHHHHHHH?!"

The other competitors stared in shock, while Mato's hat popped off his head.

Laxus smirked. _As expected._

**/**

Natsu and Gajeel roared with laughter, while Ur nodded approvingly and Mira smiled.

**/**

Sting also grinned, though Gray and Lucy were less enthusiastic, "O-oi…"

"She isn't sober, is she?!"

Rogue just growled, looking jealous as hell.

**/**

Pretty much everyone else was completely stunned. Mato tried to stop her, "Th-that's impossible-kabo! It wasn't designed so one person could possibly defeat them all!"

Erza shrugged, "I don't care."

**/**

From the stands, Levy had a hand up to her mouth in disbelief and nervousness.

_The Grand Magic Games, Day Three. Pandemonium. I don't think anyone will ever forget this day…_

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Over the course of the next hour, Erza tore through the monsters like paper, both beautiful and utterly terrifying as the beasts fell apart around her.

Mira cheered. Ur watched the battle with a soft smile.

Natsu and Gajeel grinned and bumped fists.

Laxus smirked next to Orga, who looked stunned.

With Sabertooth, Zancrow stared in shock while Minerva raised an eyebrow, for once legitimately impressed.

Kagura watched Erza warily.

_Even though she was covered in wounds, the faerie that once fell to earth soared. Here you are, Titania!_

The crowd screamed as Erza cut the S-Class monster, the final monster, down with grace, and despite being covered in blood and gasping for breath, she pointed her sword tip high in victory.

**/**

Sting laughed and Lucy cried in joy.

Gray pumped his fist and cheered.

Rogue smiled, his earlier jealousy forgotten.

**/**

In the stands, Jellal smiled under his mask.

**/**

_Just like a scarlet flower in full bloom, with pride._

**/**

"Un..un-unbelievable! Somehow..one person…defeated all 100 monsters! Is this the true strength of the guild that was the strongest seven years ago?!"

The roaring in the stadium rose to a fever pitch, with screams and cheers of admiration.

Chapati riled them up even more, "Erza Scarlet dominated Pandemonium! That victory…no one can complain about this! The cheering has yet to stop!"

Yajima sighed with a smile, "I give up…"

"I have no words…" Lahar agreed, still perspiring with tense sweat.

**/**

Sting grinned, "As expected of our S-Class."

"You mean as expected of Erza." Gray corrected.

Lucy wiped her eyes and laughed, "That was just…wow…"

Rogue nodded, "There aren't any words for something like that."

**/**

Laxus shook his head with a smile, "So much for topping her in this competition…"

"Erza's just the best!" Milianna cheered.

Hibiki sighed, "I should have expected this…"

Novally gulped, "That was..is reckless even enough of a word to put to something like that?!"

Chelia clapped her hands, "That was so cool!"

Orga looked less enthusiastic, "I don't like this…"

Nearby, Obra, of course, said nothing.

**/**

Minerva watched with interest, "Fascinating…She's more impressive than I was led to believe after yesterday's match."

**/**

"Not bad, Titania." Kagura muttered.

**/**

"Pandemonium is done for! Erza Scarlet earns Fairy Tail A Team ten points! A last minute discussion has concluded that the remaining seven teams must get rankings as well. It's not as entertaining, but we've prepared a simple game."

A strange device hovered in the center of the arena, which Mato pointed to, "Magic Power Finder, or MPF is the game. When this device is hit with magic power, that power is represented numerically. Those numerical values will be used to establish a rank order. So, we'll continue with the order previously determined."

Milianna rushed forward with a shout, "Then I'm up first! Kitten Blast!"

A spiral of energy left her hands and hit the MPF, where it beeped and produced a **365** above it.

**/**

The crowd muttered at the number, so Chapati spoke into his mic, "We don't know if that value is high or not, without a basis for comparison."

Lahar shook his head, "Not quite. This device is used in our Rune Knight training. That's a high value; it's at a level sufficient to become a Captain."

**/**

Novally went next and also hit the MPF, but the value was **124**. "Quatro Puppy's score is a little low…"

Hibiki was next, straightening his tie as he went forwards, "My turn, then."

**/**

Eve sighed, "This isn't good for Hibiki…he's a knowledge type, not a fighter."

"I should've gone out instead." Ren muttered.

Ichiya came up sparkling, "Believe in your friend, you guys!"

**/**

Belief did nothing for them. Hibiki scored a pathetic **95** on the MPF.

"Next is Raven Tail's Obra."

**/**

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "That's the bastard who attacked Wendy and Charle…"

Mira's eyes narrowed, "What kind of magic does he use?"

**/**

Obra said nothing, just put his arms to the side and sent a small black creature out to attack the MPF. The machine beeped and put up a **4**.

**/**

Gajeel's jaw dropped, "Fou-?! The bastard's playing us!"

"Who cares, with a score that low, Raven Tail's pretty much guaranteed zero points for the competition." Ur remarked.

**/**

Mato shrugged, "That's somewhat unfortunate, but there are no re-dos-kabo."

**/**

Flare shouted angrily, "What the hell are you doing, Obra?!"

Alexei grunted at her, "Silence, Flare. His magic simply can't be shown before people."

Nullpudding smirked, "He's gotta be forced to get serious."

Kurohebi chuckled darkly, "Kehehe…"

**/**

Milianna cheered, "Yay! I'm number one!"

"Oh, really?" Orga stepped forward and the crowd cheered wildly.

He held his arms out and black lightning crackled between them, then fired out and blasted the MPF, "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

The machine scored the damage as **3825**.

Milianna shrieked, "Th-three thousand?! Ten times my score?!"

Laxus smirked.

Orga took Mato's mic and started singing, **"Strongest, strongest, number one!"**

**/**

Sting slapped his hands over his ears with a growl, "That frickin' hurts!"

Lucy shifted uncomfortably, "Well, he's strong, I'll give him that, but I think even Gajeel tops his singing ability."

"…I have no desire to find out who's worse." Rogue decided.

**/**

"Well, Chelia is up next! Even though topping Orga is a long shot, she definitely gets points for being cute!" Chapati was staring at the girl with adoration, and it was only really creepy to his fellow judges.

**/**

Chelia smiled and took a step forward, then slipped and fell with a yelp.

Mato freaked, "A-are you okay?!"

She sat up and laughed apologetically, "Yeah! Sorry, I'm always so clumsy…Well, here I go!"

She stood up and concentrated, then put her hands up over her head, "God Slayer Secret Art!"

Orga froze, "Oi, kid…"

**/**

Zancrow stared in shock, "She's a- There's _another _God Slayer here?!"

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "Quite the gathering of rare magic, this tournament. Let's see if she lives up to the reputation of a God Slayer."

**/**

Black wind created four giant feathered wings at her back, then fired off a tornado of black feathers out that exploded violently upon contact with the MPF, "Heavenly Gathering of the Clouds!"

The MPF beeped, then a **3929** appeared.

**/**

Sting's jaw dropped, "The hell?!"

Gray's eyes almost popped out of his head, "Wait-is she really a little girl?! She's barely older than Wendy!"

"Black wind? Her magic is basically the same as Wendy's, except for the color and name…" Lucy gasped.

Rogue had an eyebrow raised, "Whatever that was…it was thoroughly impressive for a girl her age."

**/**

Lyon smirked, "She actually went all out."

Obaba was making Toby spin with her finger, "Good work!"

Jura's eyes narrowed, "Seeing that…Typically, she keeps that spell in reserve, as it kills lesser opponents, but…it's her most powerful spell. That said, I don't think Sabertooth's mage was giving it his all."

"I agree. He didn't even look like he was trying, but Chelia's spell drains a large amount of magic power. Although him not knowing she's a God Slayer definitely gave us the element of surprise." Yuuka said with a smirk.

**/**

"Ch-Chelia scored even higher than Orga! Cute _and _strong! Lamia Scale's up to first place! Can Fairy Tail B Team top Chelia's score?!"

**/**

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Can I top it. I almost feel insulted."

Chelia tilted her head at him, "Huh?"

Clenching his fist and generating massive electricity around it, Laxus flew at the MPF and smashed it with a fierce punch, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

A massive explosion engulfed the MPF that put Chelia's earlier attack to shame. The machine beeped a few times, then showed up as **6544**.

**/**

"Si-si-six thousand from a single punch?!" Chapati shrieked.

**/**

Laxus cracked his knuckles and tch'd, "Dammit, I haven't gotten warmed up. That felt kinda light…"

"Light..kabo?" Mato managed with huge eyes.

Needless to say, the crowd cheered madly.

"He's strong!"

"A lightning mage stronger than Orga?!"

"He almost doubled Orga's score…"

"MONSTER!"

**/**

Natsu grinned, "I think that Orga guy just got a nasty surprise."

"Damn straight. Gee-hee." Gajeel chuckled.

Mira cheered, "Laxus won!"

Ur smiled in satisfaction, "Did you expect anything less?"

**/**

In the stands, Makarov roared with laughter, "How do ya like that?! And we've got Ur too!"

Macao shook his head, "There should be a rule banning mages of their level. There's just no competition."

"Who cares, that was awesome!" Romeo cheered.

Happy and Frosch gave each other a high five, "First and second!" "Aye, sir!"

**/**

Alexei grunted with disinterest, "Not bad, child."

**/**

Mato pointed to the lacrima screen, "Here are the rankings for the competition portion!"

**/**

**1st. Erza: +10 (FTA 26pt.)**

**2nd. Laxus: +8 (FTB 33pt.)**

**3rd. Chelia: +6 (LS 17pt.)**

**4th. Orga: +4 (ST 34pt.)**

**5th. Milianna: +3 (MH 11pt.)**

**6th. Novally: +2 (QP 12pt.)**

**7th. Hibiki: +1 (BP 16pt.)**

**8th. Obra: + 0 (RT 31pt.)**

**/**

"Turnaround! Sabertooth's back on top, but Fairy Tail B Team is just a point away from taking the crown! Still, Raven Tail and Fairy Tail A Team are hard on their heels for first place! Lamia Scale is also getting up there! With that in mind, we're proceeding to the battle portion for day three!"

The crowd cheered in excitement at Chapati's announcement as he continued, "The first battle is between Mermaid Heel's Milianna and Quatro Puppy's Seamus! A clash between feline and hound! Which will bring in the big points their guilds need to catch up in the race?!"

**/**

Milianna and Seamus met on the battlefield, sizing each other up before the cat girl grinned and meowed, "Super strong, right?"

"Wild!" Seamus barked.

**/**

"First match of day three, battle start!"

**/**

Seamus started spinning like a top as he came at Milianna, "Victory for the fastest! Wild Spin!"

Milianna easily dodged and watched him come around again with a smirk, "Cat Binding Tube!" The attack hit Seamus, but bounced off due to his spinning, allowing him to score a clean hit on Milianna.

She skidded back hissing and spitting as he came back for more. Putting her hands together, she shouted, "Kitten Blast!" A spiral of energy hit Seamus, but he kept coming and hit her again.

Milianna was sent flying, but she landed easily and growled, "That's annoying! Cat Binding Tube!" This time the tube managed to wrap around Seamus and slow him down enough for her to jump above his head.

She grinned fiercely, "Gotcha, puppy! Cat Claw!"

Energy focused around her hand and sharpened as Milianna slammed her hand into the back of Seamus's head and unbalanced his spinning badly, making him go out of control and crash into the wall of the arena.

The man grunted weakly, "W-wild…"

He passed out a second later and made Milianna cheer, "Super strong! I won!"

**/**

"That's it! The fight's over! Milianna wins! That's ten points for Mermaid Heel!"

**/**

Erza, though bandaged from head to toe, smiled at her friend, "You've gotten strong, Milianna."

Lucy nodded, "That score from earlier on the MPF didn't mean anything, after all. There's a lot more to her than just simple power."

"Well, if she's Erza's friend, of course there is." Gray said with a shrug.

**/**

"On to the next fight! From Fairy Tail A Team, Gray Fullbuster! Up against Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia!"

**/**

Gray smiled fiercely, "About damn time!" He glared across the field at his rival, who sneered back.

Sting punched his arm lightly with a grin, "You'd better not lose to that guy."

"As if." he retorted, leaving his team to meet Lyon.

**/**

Ur smiled, "Finally, I get to see them fight each other…It's been a long time since the last fight."

Natsu crossed his arms, "One frozen idiot is enough, so why'd they put two in there?"

"Because Ur taught them her badass magic." Gajeel grunted.

The Salamander nodded, "I get that…Speaking of which, Gray didn't actually train during the last three months, did he?"

Ur shrugged, "Ultear told me something about her awakening his Second Origin..that's how he, Erza, and Lucy got to their current levels in such a short time."

"Gee-hee…If that's all they got, then they're in for a nasty shock when they find out how strong us Dragon Slayers have gotten." Gajeel chuckled, then glanced at Natsu, "They just got a taste of it yesterday. The First Master told me your magic power was so low because of the side effects from eating lightning the day before, you couldn't even use Dragon Force. Though you still kicked Bacchus's ass fair and square."

Ur shook her head with a smirk, "I wouldn't call it fair for someone of Bacchus's level to go up against you or Natsu, even if he was handicapped. You two have grown a lot these past three months. People of Erza's level like Bacchus don't hold a candle to you now. Though whether you can actually beat Erza herself is a different matter entirely."

Natsu seemed to think about this for a bit, then grinned, "Does that put us at Laxus's level? Oi, Laxus-? Where is he?"

The three turned around and noticed that both Laxus and Mira were nowhere to be found.

Ur sighed, "I wonder…If Elfman will survive trying to kill the two dragons who seem to have stolen his sisters away."

"That mound of muscle? We could probably one shot him, the way we are now…" Gajeel muttered.

Natsu sweated nervously at the topic and turned back to the arena, "Let's just watch the fight. I really don't need to think about what those two might be up to."

"What's that mean?"

The Salamander froze in place and looked over his shoulder at Laxus's raised eyebrow as he and Mira came back to their team, "Uhh..never mind…"

The S-Class mage sighed and put a hand on his shoulder to grunt in his teammate's ear, "We just got something to eat, but if you mention this to Elfman and get Evergreen pissed at me too, I'll shock you to death."

"…Didn't I tell you earlier he was trying to strangle me?" Natsu muttered.

Laxus shrugged, "Just making sure you understand."

**/**

Gray met Lyon in the center of the field, both of them sneering at their fellow pupils.

With a smirk, Gray cracked his knuckles, "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"Ready to eat your words?" Lyon shot back, then crossed his arms with a confident smile, "Remember, if Lamia Scale wins, Juvia comes to our guild."

Scratching the back of his head, Gray sighed, "What a pain. You still piss me off, even seven years later…Whatever. I don't care since we'll kick your asses anyways, but for the record…"

The air around him became frigid, making Gray smile darkly as he tossed his shirt aside, "I've got a bone to pick with you for the Chariot event…I ain't losing, you bastard."

Lyon also tossed his shirt aside, cracking his neck, "Have fun trying, Gray. I'm worlds away from where I was seven years ago. You'd best be ready for the fight of your life…"

**/**

"The two Ice Mages! The students of Ur! Their frozen wills are about to clash on the battlefield!"

The crowd roared in excitement as Gray and Lyon faced off for their battle.


	32. Gray vs Lyon

**Okay, the fights are getting even better! Almost done with day three here, but the next fight will be even more intense than this one! I hope you like this battle though, so thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Reviews are appreciated! You guys have to tell me what I'm doing right or doing wrong, because at the end of the day, this is for YOUR entertainment! Thanks a lot!**

_Chapter 32: Gray vs Lyon_

"Second match of day three! Gray versus Lyon! Match start!" Chapati shouted and made the crowd cheer.

**/**

Lyon quickly set his fist to his open palm with a smirk, "Get ready-!"

"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray fired a barrage of frozen spears at Lyon before his fellow pupil could even finish talking.

Lyon reacted in time though, and sent forth a flock of frozen birds, "Ice Make: Eagle!"

The ice attacks crashed against each other and shattered, but they followed up immediately. Lyon put his hands to the ground with a shout, "Ice Make: Snow Tiger!"

A huge tiger made of ice roared as it erupted from the Lyon's feet and charged Gray, who made a sword of ice and slashed the frozen beast in half with ease, grinning at his rival, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Far from it, Ice Make: Ape!" Lyon countered, creating a giant gorilla that jumped high into the air and landed where Gray was standing a second earlier as he dodged the attack.

The huge ape didn't miss a beat and backhanded him with a huge fist made from ice.

**/**

"Lyon's taking the offensive! He's putting the pressure on Gray to keep up with his Dynamic Ice Make! Can Gray counter with his Static Ice Make?!"

Chapati's words got the crowd riled up, making them cheer louder.

**/**

Erza narrowed her eyes, "This is a problem, since Gray's attacks don't simple come around and go after Lyon when they miss the first time. Those frozen animals will keep on going for him until he destroys them or they destroy him."

Lucy gulped, "Is he going to be okay against that?"

"Gray isn't going to lose to Lyon without one hell of a fight. Not if he has anything to say about it." Sting grinned.

**/**

"Go, Lyon!" Chelia cheered.

Yuuka smirked, "How ironic that we ended up fighting Fairy Tail's ice mages with the top members of our guild…Though Lyon's got a big advantage over Gray."

"You might say that, but Creation Magic is all about the caster's ability to mold his element. Nothing is certain until the final blow is delivered." Jura rumbled, shaking his head.

**/**

The frozen ape came around and swung at Gray again, who tch'd, "Damn monkey. You're pissing me off! Ice Make: Battle Axe!" He swung a huge axe of ice and jammed it into the ape's skull, crushing it instantly.

Lyon smirked, "Not bad. Try this one, next. Ice Make: Wolf Pack!" A half dozen wolves appeared and rushed Gray, snarling and barking.

He sneered at Lyon, "Pathetic! Ice Geyser!" The ground at his feet exploded with sharp ice and crashed into the wolves, decimating them instantly.

Gray kept the ice going forward until it was almost at Lyon, but then his rival also fired the same attack back at him, "Ice Geyser!"

The two masses of ice crashed into each other and stopped after forming a huge tower of ice. Gray touched the ground and shouted, "Ice Make: Floor!"

The whole arena floor was suddenly covered in a thick sheet of ice, chilling the air and making

**/**

Chapati stammer, "Th-the battlefield is covered in ice! What's Gray planning to do?!"

**/**

Lyon grinned, "Are you actually foolish enough to think I'd slip on my own element?"

"Not at all. This is just the real battlefield we needed." Gray retorted.

His rival's grin grew wider, "Well said! Ice Make: Wolf Head!" Two wolves's heads appeared on his hands, snapping and growling as Lyon skated across the ice at Gray, who created two swords from ice and swung them towards his rival.

The wolf heads caught the blades in their jaws, but Gray let them have it and released his grip on the swords, instead encasing his fist in ice and slamming Lyon's jaw with an uppercut. Lyon didn't hesitate a second though, making the wolf heads spit the swords out and snap at Gray with his own punch.

He grunted with pain as the wolf head bit his arm and partially froze it, but then he kicked up and caught Lyon in the chest, sending him sprawling.

**/**

"They're evenly matched! On this frozen wasteland called their battlefield, the two ice mages are quickly making this fight heat up!"

"Is it really necessary for them to strip, though…?" Lahar asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yajima chuckled, "That's just the way they are. It adds to the crowd's excitement, I'd think."

The crowd certainly agreed, their cheering only growing as the fight went on. Particularly from the girls eyeing the two shirtless mages.

**/**

"See, I told you he wouldn't lose easy." Sting said.

He flashed a smile at Lucy, who returned it and nodded, "Yeah!"

Rogue watched the fight carefully, "Their magic really are opposites. Gray's only gets one shot at hitting his opponent, but Lyon's can move around. That said, Gray's advantage is that he's better at all around fighting. Lyon isn't as good in close combat with those wolf heads, because he can't just drop them like Gray dropped the swords."

"Perhaps, but he's very creative and is skilled at long range combat. That's something Lyon will definitely use over the course of this fight." Erza murmured.

Sting shrugged, "Maybe he's good at long range, but so is Gray. He matched the first attack easily enough."

**/**

Lyon got back up into a kneeling position as Gray kicked again and connected with his chin, putting him off balance again, but he swiftly recovered and put his hands to the ground again, "Ice Make: Snow Dragon!"

A huge, serpentine dragon made from ice flew at Gray with a roar, but he stood his ground and brought his fist down on his open palm, "Ice Impact!"

The dragon screeched and shattered as a massive, intricate hammer of ice punched through it's head from above.

Lyon stared in surprise and just momentary hesitation. _That looked a little too easy for him…Alright, I'm done with messing around! _

Gray charged him again as he stood up and also ran forward, both of them sliding across the ice at high speed. Lyon dodged a punch and clotheslined his rival, smacking him hard into the frozen ground before spinning back around and briefly touching the ice, "Ice Make: Lizardman!"

Gray stood as a humanoid reptile rushed him with a fierce roar. He tch'd, "So noisy!" The Lizardman fell down as he rushed past it with a broadsword and a yell, "I got no use for you!"

As his creature fell apart, cut in three different places, Lyon's smirk vanished and was replaced with a twitching eyebrow, giving away some frustration.

Gray kept coming, swinging at Lyon with the broadsword, "Cold Excalibur!"

Lyon dodged and touched his rival's chest with a hand, "Ice Panther!" Gray yelled as a frozen panther erupted from his back with a yowl, sending him crashing to the ground.

**/**

Ur's eyes widened, "That attack just now did some real damage…" Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Oi, oi, don't tell me he's going to lose."

"Lyon really did get stronger these past seven years, huh?" Natsu muttered.

Gajeel shrugged, "Who cares. If I can kick his ass, those seven years don't mean a damn thing."

**/**

"Gray!" Erza shouted.

Lucy covered her mouth with a hand, "Is he okay?!"

"I don't know…" Sting managed, eyes wide.

Rogue gripped the hilt of his katana, glaring down at the fight with a mixture of frustration and anticipation. _Dammit, when is it going to be my turn? I'm getting sick of just watching…_

**/**

Chelia jumped up, "Yay, Lyon's winning!"

"He's as good as won with an attack like that." Yuuka said with a smirk.

Jura narrowed his eyes, "Has he?"

**/**

Lyon turned to face Gray, but was shocked when his rival appeared in his face, two frozen broadswords in his hands as he cut in a cross formation, "Ice Bringer!"

With a grunt of pain, Lyon hit the ground hard, gasping from the force of the slash. The panther on Gray's back splintered and broke off completely, but he fell to his knees panting for breath.

Lyon staggered to his feet with a menacing glare, "It's not over, Gray. Not by a long shot."

"We'll see about that…" Gray retorted.

Setting his fist on his palm once more, Lyon sent forth a giant frozen snake with a yell, "Ice Make! Water Serpent!"

The huge snake hissed and snapped at Gray with it's fangs, who sent a mass of icy spears at the beast, "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Though the huge snake was struck multiple times, it kept coming and scored a clean hit on him, sending Gray crashing back to the frozen arena floor.

Lyon panted and grinned, "This is how different I've become over the last seven years! You're not in my class anymore, Gray! I'm shooting for Jura and Ur now!"

Gray stood up and faced him, his body battered and throbbing from pain, but he still smiled back fiercely, "Who the hell do you think _I've_ been shooting for, you bastard?! You ain't the only one trying to top Ur! And I've still got that damn monster up north…I never lose to the same opponent twice! By the time I go to destroy that beast, I'll have at least reached Ur's level!"

Lyon sighed and shook his head, "You're still just a young dog with a few old tricks…You'll be waiting years to crush Deliora, Gray."

"We'll see! Ice Make…"

He set himself into a fighting stance as Lyon smirked and got ready to intercept, "I know all of your attacks. I trained with you myself, remember?"

Gray glared at him as he shouted, "Infinity!"

Lyon's eyes got wide, "What?"

Frozen swords suddenly started appearing in thin air, which Gray quickly attached to a huge chain of ice that surrounded him. The weapons kept coming until they were in the dozens, all in a matter of several seconds.

Gray smirked at the look of shock on Lyon's face, "Do you remember this one?"

**/**

Ur raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Such fast shaping…"

Natsu gripped the railing as he stared down at the field, "Since when could he make that many in just a few seconds?!"

"Apparently, since just now." Gajeel grunted.

Laxus smirked, "I think Lyon's about to get a nasty surprise…"

**/**

"One Sided Chaotic Dance!" Gray shouted, sending the huge bladed chain to slash Lyon with a single swift, smooth movement.

Lyon cried out in pain, but skidded back and retained his footing, spitting blood on the ice with a glare, "Is that all?!"

"Don't take my words! Ice Make…"

Gray knelt and touched the ground with his hands, while Lyon mirrored him, "Ice Make…"

A huge spike of ice erupted from where Gray stood as he shouted, "War God Lance!"

"Diamond Dragon!" Lyon yelled, sending forth a huge, glittering dragon that bellowed and met the lance head on.

The attacks molded around each other, with the lance punching though the dragon's mouth while the beast seemed to swallow the lance and keep going towards Gray. The two ice mages roared in pain as both attacks found their mark and froze them solid for a moment before they shattered and sent the rivals crashing to the arena floor.

**/**

Lucy stared down at the fallen mages, swallowing nervously, "Which one of them's had it?"

"I'm fairly certain that with their attacks landing the way they did, that the damage was mutual." Erza muttered.

Sting nodded, "It looked that way to me too…They both did about the same amount of damage."

Rogue tapped his foot impatiently, "So who won?"

**/**

"Lyon!" Chelia cried.

Toby's eyes bugged, "Holy crap!"

"I did warn you. It's not over until it's over." Jura said with a tense look.

Yuuka nodded, a little subdued, "Understood."

**/**

Ur glanced from one student to the other, searching for a sign of movement. _Gray or Lyon..which one of you has surpassed the other?_

**/**

The arena went silent, waiting for the outcome. "A-awesome! With a single mighty attack from both mages, it appears the battle has reached it's conclusion! But what is that conclusion?!"

**/**

Mato half walked, half slid across the ice to the two unmoving mages. After glancing between them for a few moments, he held a hand up, "They're both unconscious! It's a draw! Five points for both teams!"

**/**

The crowd cheered as Chapati wrapped up the fight, "Evenly matched, down to the final blow! Those are the students of Ur, strong as expected!"

"That was an impressive fight. I rather enjoyed watching that one." Yajima said with a smile.

Lahar nodded agreement, "Indeed. I look forward to seeing their growth over the coming years."

**/**

Ur sighed and smiled, "I should have known…Those two really are equals, even after all this time…I guess the Second Origin has more to it than Ultear led me to believe..that Gray caught up to Lyon just by awakening his…Well, there's always next time."

**/**

Gray and Lyon's teams came out to the arena as the icy floor shattered, reaching their friends quickly. Wendy came with Gray's team and began treating his injuries to wake him up, which he did after about a minute of healing. Chelia did the same to Lyon, who sat up in a daze.

Erza nodded to Jura as they picked up their comrades and walked away to their respective medical areas.

Chelia flashed a smile at Wendy, who returned it before they followed their friends out of the arena.

**/**

Chapati was quick to continue, "Now, we move on to the third match of day three! From Blue Pegasus, it's Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki! Going up against Raven Tail's Alexei!"

The crowd cheered as the two mages walked onto the field, commenting on Ichiya's ugliness.

**/**

Laxus's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Raven Tail mage, "That guy…"

"What sort of magic does he use, do you think?" Natsu muttered.

Gajeel eyed him curiously. _Even when I was spying for the old man seven years back, I ain't ever seen that bastard before…who are you?_

**/**

With Blue Pegasus, Ren smirked, "No matter how strong that Raven Tail guy is, the meister will win."

Hibiki nodded, "Of course, that goes without saying."

"He's our strongest mage for a reason." Eve said simply.

**/**

"The third match of day three! Ichiya versus Alexei! Match, start!"

**/**

Ichiya smiled at his opponent, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Men!"

"It's all mine." Alexei replied, sounding rather bored.

The Pegasus mage sparkled, "Men! Hibiki has very little information on you, so I would appreciate seeing your full power!"

Alexei grunted, "You wouldn't want me to."

"I insist!" Ichiya proclaimed.

The armored mage was quiet for a bit, then sighed, "Very well, then."

Taking out a bottle, Ichiya smiled, "Then let us begin! Power Perfume!"

He inhaled a whiff of the stuff and suddenly bulked up vastly, his muscles rippling over his body. Ichiya ran at his opponent and swung a now huge fist at him, "Victory perfume!"

Alexei dodged the attack effortlessly and punched Ichiya in the face, crushing his head into the ground with such devastating force that it formed a huge crater.

The crowd screamed in shock.

**/**

"Oh my god…" Lucy gasped.

Sting's face was contorted with disbelief, sweating nervously, "He just..with one shot…"

"No magic…" Erza whispered, her eyes wide.

**/**

Natsu's jaw dropped, "Holy crap…Raven Tail had a guy _that_ powerful?!"

Mira's eyebrows were high up in surprise, "That..was thoroughly impressive…"

"No shit, sherlock." Gajeel muttered, totally stunned.

Laxus frowned deeply, "That guy..is he...?"

**/**

In the stands, Makarov sweated in shock and cursed, "Damn you Ivan…To think you had such a beast in your ranks…"

**/**

"Th-the match is over! Incredible! Alexei just one shotted Blue Pegasus's strongest mage!" Chapati shrieked.

Yajima, an eye opened in a mixture of surprise and shock, nodded, "With no magic, at that. I think if we rank the top five in this competition, he's probably along the lines of third or fourth…"

"That puts him just under the Wizard Saints..truly an impressive force to be reckoned with." Lahar murmured, still a little stunned after witnessing the brutal one hit KO.

"A-anyways, Raven Tail earns ten points!" Chapati stammered.

**/**

Alexei walked off the field silently, never once glancing back at the utterly defeated Ichiya. The Trimens quickly got to their defeated leader and carried him to the medical area for treatment.

**/**

"With that..crushing defeat…aside, let's move on to the last fight of day three! The last two teams are Fairy Tail B and Sabertooth!"

**/**

Natsu growled, "Finally…"

His team smiled in anticipation.

**/**

"Fairy Tail B Team's Mirajane Strauss versus Sabertooth's Minerva!"

The spectators cheered with excitement.

**/**

Ur smiled, "Good luck."

"Kick her ass!" Natsu said with a grin.

Mira nodded with a fierce smile, "I got it."

Gajeel eyed the Sabertooth mage from across the field, "Watch that one. Something about her scent is just off…I've never smelled a magic power like it before…"

Laxus glanced at Mira, "Be careful."

She smiled at the lightning mage, "I know. Just watch and learn." With that, she walked off to meet her opponent.

Gajeel was tempted to comment on the way Laxus watched her walk away, then decided he'd rather keep his teeth.

**/**

"Go, Mira!" Lisanna cheered.

Elfman pumped his fist, "Show them how powerful a real man is!"

"She's a woman!" Evergreen shouted, smacking him over the head with her fan.

Mavis's eyes narrowed, prompting Makarov to stare at her, "What's wrong, First Master?"

She blinked and glanced at him with a smile, "Oh, nothing! I was just wondering what that Minerva woman's magic is."

Juvia smiled fiercely, "Whoever she is, there's no way she'll be able to defeat Mira. Back during the Phantom War, she took down Aria with ease. And she's even stronger now…It's our win, for sure!"

"That's right! Not even Sabertooth can defeat the Demon of Fairy Tail!" Happy declared.

**/**

At Sabertooth's end of the arena, Orga smirked, "Our young lady is quite the menace…"

"My memory understands the reasoning behind this match…Pitting a demon against the devil herself.." Rufus chuckled.

Rustyrose tapped his glasses, "But of course, it's our victory. Minerva's only threat from Fairy Tail would probably be the Wizard Saint."

Zancrow growled angrily, "If I don't fight Natsu sometime in this tournament, I'll roast the staff alive."

"That could be interesting. But save it for later, Zancrow." Minerva said as she walked off, "You'll get your chance soon…"

**/**

Mira met with Minerva in the center of the arena, both mages sizing each other up quietly.

The Sabertooth mage smirked, "My apologies that you have to fight me…I won't be losing this fight."

"It's fine. In fact, I should be the one apologizing early on." Mira said with a smile, "I don't really like slugfests because I usually scare people."

Minerva chuckled, "Don't hold back. I assure you, I won't be frightened anytime soon."

Mira's smile became fierce, "You're quite confident. Alright, let's have a real battle."

The Sabertooth mage smiled darkly, "Yes, let's."

**/**

The crowd roared in anticipation as Chapati shouted into his mic, "Fairy Tail versus Sabertooth! Mirajane versus Minerva! Chaos is about to go down between these two guilds!"


	33. Mirajane vs Minerva

**I like to think I did pretty good on this chapter, what with the limited knowledge on Minerva's magic. Mostly fighting and some build-up here, but the match is pretty decent, if I do say so myself. Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 33: Mirajane vs Minerva_

"It's starting! The clash between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth! The battle between Mirajane and Minerva, the final match of day three…Battle START!"

The cheering rose in volume exponentially.

**/**

Minerva held her hand up in a challenge, "You can go first."

Mira smiled, "Thanks, but don't go using that as an excuse when you lose! Take Over: Satan Soul!" She transformed into her demonic form, rushing Minerva with great speed.

The Sabertooth mage dodged a punch, leaning back with impressive flexibility to jump backwards as Mira followed up with a kick that crushed the ground.

As she landed, Mira came at her again, lashing out with a rapid flurry of punches and kicks, but Minerva dodged them easily, weaving in a swift blur to avoid every attack that was thrown at her.

After several moments of missed attacks, Mira jumped back and stared at her opponent with cold blue eyes, "You're just trying to analyze my fighting style."

"Smart. As expected of an S-Class mage with your reputation." Minerva replied, then held her hands out to the sides, "If I was found out that quickly, I'd best return the favor and show you some of _my _attacks."

Mira's eyes narrowed and she smirked, "Be my guest."

**/**

Natsu leaned forward, "Now, what's your magic?"

Gajeel stared at Minerva with a frown, "That chick's a little too cool to be fighting Mirajane like this…What's her deal...?"

**/**

The air around Minerva's hands darkened into a strange wave substance that shifted and rippled faintly like water, then she raised a hand and fired a sphere of the stuff at Mira, who stepped aside quickly.

The attack seemingly vanished into thin air, then suddenly reappeared and exploded at Mira's back. She coughed from the force and staggered, her gaze flashing up, but not seeing Minerva. _Where is she?! _

"Here, little demon."

Mira whipped around as Minerva punched her in the stomach with the strange substance, making her gasp as she skidded to a stop. _What IS that stuff?! It's hot, but..it's so heavy..almost like lead…_

Minerva showed no sign that she intended to explain her powers, just smirked at the Demon, "How odd. I expected it to be harder for me to land a blow on you…perhaps you were just caught off guard? You probably haven't seen this magic. It is rather rare…"

"Whether I've seen it or not is irrelevant. As long as I figure out how to deal with it, being rare won't help you defeat me." Mira retorted, facing her opponent again. Her demonic tail twitched slightly as she formulated a battle plan, then her wings exploded from her back and she flew at Minerva even faster than before.

The Sabertooth mage's eyes widened in surprise before Mira punched her in the jaw and made her go flying. Minerva came to a halt and blocked the next punch with the wave magic, then smirked and fired another sphere at her that caught the Demon in her stomach.

Mira jumped up into the air and flipped backwards to build speed, then shot down from the air and met Minerva with simultaneous punches, the force releasing a powerful shockwave.

**/**

Erza's eyes widened, "That woman..she can match Mira's strength?"

"That she can keep up with Mira's speed at all is what surprises me." Rogue admitted.

Lucy frowned, "What's her magic? I've never seen anything like it…"

Sting shook his head, "Who knows, but right now, it looks like they're evenly matched…"

**/**

Mira started fighting on the ground again, clashing with Minerva in a fierce bought of close combat that made them move in swift blurs that were hard to follow by those with untrained eyes. She finally flew up and put some distance between them when it became clear that Minerva's odd magic was doing more damage than her strong punches and kicks.

The Sabertooth mage looked up at the hovering Demon with a smile of calm.

Mira panted slightly to catch her breath as she assessed the situation. _She's strong. And her skill at close combat is pretty impressive…I need to find a way to get in a single heavy blow. She's too analytic to fall for the same strategy twice, so my attacks have to count when they land. _

"Devising a strategy, are we?" Minerva asked with amusement.

Mira smirked, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, so why don't you find out?"

"Interesting. Come on, then." she replied smoothly.

The air between them got tense, as if a storm were about to break out.

**/**

"Awesome! The magic power in the stadium is rising to very high levels!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

Makarov felt the shift and narrowed his eyes, "They're getting serious…"

Elfman grinned, "Give her hell, sis! Show her that you're a real man! Make that woman scream like a little girl!"

"I'll make you scream like a little girl if you keep calling her a man!" Evergreen growled, smacking him upside the head.

Happy smiled confidently, "When Mira gets serious, the enemies start crying."

Lisanna laughed, "It's definitely not a good thing for them, is it?"

Lily smirked, "It feels like the air is getting heavy…"

"The match is as good as ours." Lector said matter of factly, crossing his arms.

**/**

In the air, Mirajane started charging immense magic between her hands to form a black sphere. Minerva eyed the spell with slight disinterest, "Long range attacks aren't going to do much of anything against me, I'm afraid."

"I won't know until I try." Mira answered, then fired a concentrated beam of darkness down at the Sabertooth mage, "Evil Explosion!"

Minerva watched the attack approach, then held a hand up with her odd magic. The dark magic was sucked into the strange substance and vanished completely.

With a smirk, Minerva put her hand down, "I warned you-?"

She frowned as she realized Mira was no longer in the air, but then shrieked when a powerful strike caught her in the back. Minerva hit the ground hard, but swiftly recovered and whipped her gaze up to see a sapphire blur, which proceeded to hit the woman with a vicious uppercut and then slam something thick and heavy into her stomach, smashing her into the stadium walls.

From there, Minerva narrowed her eyes, "I see..you changed forms…"

Mira faced her with a different Take Over, one sporting blue scales, upward facing wings, and a thick tail, "Satan Soul: Halphas."

Minerva eyed the stocky tail. _That's what hit my stomach. Well, well, this one's full of surprises…Not that it'll get her anywhere. _

She stepped free of the rubble easily, approaching Mirajane without the slightest trace of fear, "I'm honestly impressed with your speed, but it won't do you any good. Here I come."

Minerva held a hand out and the strange wave magic shot forward and wrapped around Mira's leg, which then allowed the Sabertooth mage to toss her like a rag doll across the arena floor and into the wall with a loud crash.

Mira emerged from the destroyed wall and rushed Minerva, swinging her fist in a backhand motion, but Minerva blocked with her magic and kicked her away. After skidding back a few meters, Mirajane flew at her, but then the Sabertooth mage vanished into thin air.

Mira's eyes widened, "Where- AHH!"

Minerva suddenly appeared in midair behind her and kicked the Demon in the back of the head, sending her sprawling. Before Mirajane hit the ground however, she was enveloped in the wave magic and vanished, then reappeared above Minerva, who smashed her knee up into Mira's back and tossed her aside with her magic.

Mira coughed from the force, but stood and faced her again.

**/**

"Turnaround! Minerva's got Mirajane on the run!"

**/**

Erza's eyes widened in surprise, "She..is she actually overwhelming Mira's Halphas Spell?"

Lucy gulped, "Is it just me, or does it look like Minerva's going easy on her?"

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Sting muttered, shifting uneasily.

**/**

"Mira…" Lisanna murmured, clasping her hands in worry.

Levy looked a little subdued, "Is she getting beaten?"

"It would appear so…" Freed mused, his eyes narrowed.

Elfman shook his fist, "What are you doing, sis?! You can't lose to Sabertooth! That's not man-"

"If you finish that, I'll knock you unconscious," Evergreen yelled, "If I have to explain that she's a woman one more time, I swear!"

Elfman growled, "Ah?! What's with you?! That's not manly!"

Evergreen crossed her arms, "I'm not a man, I'm a woman!"

Bixlow grunted at them, "Oi, quit flirting and watch the fight."

They turned and yelled at him, "WE AREN'T FLIRTING!"

"Guys."

They spun towards Lector, who sighed, "Just admit it. You're flirting."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

"Aye!" Happy added.

Needless to say, the disgruntled mages shut up and payed closer attention to the battle.

**/**

Mira stood up shakily, wincing at the pain in her back.

Minerva smirked, "This has just about gone on to the time limit…I think it's time I ended this fight."

She tensed, ready for almost anything. The Sabertooth mage fired dozens of spheres made from the wave magic, which rained down on the Demon. Mira flew around rapidly, dodging the spheres, but cried in pain when Minerva suddenly appeared through a wormhole in midair and hit her back in the same place as before with a vicious kick.

This time, Mira was sure she could feel bone crack and coughed as she fell to her knees. Minerva didn't let up though, and hit her with a mass of the wave magic again.

When she sent another huge mass of magic at her, Mira flew up to dodge, then charged a mass of glittering purple and blue energy in her hands and fired it down at Minerva with a shout, "Cosmic Beam!" The explosion was huge, engulfing a large portion of the field, but when the smoke cleared, Minerva simply reappeared out of another wormhole, totally unscathed.

The Sabertooth mage sneered, "Your magic isn't bad, but if you can't hit me, it means nothing." \

Mira bit her lip in frustration. _What IS that magic?_

**/**

Natsu glanced at Ur, "Mira's Satan Soul uses up a ton of magic power…How much longer do you think she can keep this up?"

The Wizard Saint shook her head, "I don't know. My concern lies elsewhere."

Gajeel grunted agreement, "I hear ya. That Minerva chick hasn't taken much damage, while Mira must be about to reach her limit with that Satan Soul…"

"I'm just wondering why Minerva hasn't used a big attack this whole time…" Laxus mused.

**/**

Mira decided to go in for another round of close combat and flew in fast, but Minerva smiled darkly, "I'm done analyzing your magic. I have no further use for you."

As Mira approached, the Sabertooth mage pointed two fingers and touched them to her opposite palm, "Ih Ragdo!"

The Demon's eyes widened as she was surrounded by the wave magic, staring as Minerva wove her hands in a circular motion above her head as she chanted, "Niel wielg mion. Derse elcantaeus."

Mirajane felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she sensed a huge magic power.

**/**

Mavis's mouth fell open in shock, "Yakuma's spell of the Eighteen War Gods?!"

**/**

Minerva spread her arms wide with a shout, "Yagdo Rigora!"

A massive statue in the form of a god-like creature erupted from the ground, then generated a titanic explosion that made the arena shake violently.

**/**

The crowd screamed from the force of the blast as it made people fall over from their seats. The announcers were utterly speechless, left in complete shock from the huge explosion.

**/**

"MIRA!" Lisanna shrieked.

Elfman shouted, "Sis!"

"Did..she just.." Happy trailed off, completely subdued.

Lector's tail bristled in shock, "That's just insane…"

Lily swallowed, "So, Sabertooth has a person of that level in their guild, just like that Alexei guy from Raven Tail…"

"Who cares about that, is Mirajane okay?!" Charle asked.

**/**

Natsu's jaw dropped as he comprehended the huge blast that had just enveloped the arena. Gajeel too, was stunned into speechlessness.

Beside them, Laxus gripped the railing hard, his eyes glued to the smoke as it cleared away.

"Quite the gathering of powerful mages, this tournament…" Ur muttered, grudgingly impressed with the power Minerva had displayed.

**/**

Minerva watched the smoke clear with a smirk. The arena was totally silent for a few moments, then Mirajane appeared. But the Sabertooth mage's eyes narrowed when Mira glared at her, still standing and in a different Take Over than Halphas.

Her hair was longer, she had horns at the side of her head and flames licked the ground at her feet. She appeared completely unscathed, the only sign of damage being the steady panting that was gradually getting easier as she recovered her breath.

**/**

Laxus visible relaxed, "Phew. She must have gone into her Satan Soul: Sitri at the last second…"

"That was too close. Way, way too close." Gajeel muttered.

Natsu let out a tense breath, "Guess we know now who Sabertooth's strongest mage is. Though it looks like she's still got fuel to burn…"

**/**

In fact, Minerva looked completely at ease and not exhausted at all. She smirked at Mirajane, eyeing the new transformation with interest, "Impressive. You're much more durable than I had previously estimated. Well, now…"

To the crowd's surprise, she turned and started walking away. Mira shouted after her, "Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

"If you haven't noticed, there are just fifteen seconds left on the clock. Even with my abilities, defeating you in your current state will take time that I don't have. And with you power, it would take even longer for you to defeat me. Our bout ends in a draw." she said with finality.

Mirajane glared at the back of her head with cold blue eyes, "You're just going to stop? Do you think you can just walk out with time still on the clock? You're basically surrendering."

Minerva stopped dead and turned around slowly, with a lethal, soft voice, "Alright, I'll kill the time with a few last words: Watch your sister, Demon."

Mira froze, "Excuse me?"

**/**

Natsu heard the quiet threat and bristled as he hissed under his breath, _"What did she just say?!" _

"She's got guts, saying something like that after your fight yesterday." Gajeel growled, having also heard the Sabertooth mage.

Laxus shifted, "I swear, someone's going to take things too far and end up dead in this tournament…"

Ur glanced at him, "I don't know what you three just heard, but don't jinx us here, okay?"

Jinxed or not, Natsu whipped around and stormed out of the waiting area without another word, no doubt heading to the stands so he could find Lisanna.

**/**

"Did I just hear that right?" Sting asked, staring at Minerva with alarm.

Rogue nodded, a dark look in his eyes, "I heard it too."

Lucy glanced between them, "What did you hear?"

The White Dragon bared his fangs slightly, "It looks like Raven Tail might not be the only guild with an outside agenda…"

**/**

The clock hit zero and the crowd cheered, still a little uncomfortable with the outcome. "That was a pretty tough fight, but the end result is a draw! Fairy Tail B Team and Sabertooth both earn five points! That's the conclusion of day three! The current rankings are being listed now!"

**/**

**1st. Raven Tail (41pt.)**

**2nd. Sabertooth (39pt.)**

**3rd. Fairy Tail B (38pt.)**

**4th. Fairy Tail A (31pt.)**

**5th. Lamia Scale (27pt.)**

**6th. Mermaid Heel (21pt.)**

**7th. Blue Pegasus (16pt.)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy (12pt.)**

**/**

"It appears that Raven Tail's loss during the competition portion has allowed Sabertooth and Fairy Tail B to close the gap! It's a race by a hair's breadth now between those three teams, but Fairy Tail A and Lamia Scale aren't far behind! Meanwhile, Mermaid Heel has started a comeback, but it looks like Blue Pegasus's early momentum is running out! Quatro Puppy isn't looking so hot either! Can they stay in the race?! That concludes day three! Tomorrow we'll have the Tag Battles that everyone's been looking forward to! Get ready for it!"

The crowd cheered, then started to break up and leave the stadium.

**/**

Mira still stood in the center of the arena, staring at the place where Minerva had walked off as her mind raced.

_What in the hell could she possible want with Lisanna? _

She jumped as someone tapped her shoulder and spun around to find herself facing Laxus. He motioned with his head to the side and led her off of the battlefield, then stopped her at the exit, "Natsu's already with Lisanna. She doesn't know yet, but I reckon he won't let her out of his sight for a while."

Mira shook her head, "I just wish I knew what that woman intends to do. We might be able to stop her if she actually tries something…"

"Don't sweat it." Laxus offered a smile, ruffling her hair fondly, "She's got monsters like you, Natsu, and even Elfman watching her back. And let's not forget that Sting and I'll definitely keep an eye on her, too. Going after Lisanna right now would be suicidal."

Mira returned his smile, "Since when did you switch places with your bodyguards?"

"Since Raven Tail and Sabertooth showed their true colors." he grumbled.

She frowned, then tried smiling again, "Well, the day's over for now, so how about we get something to eat?"

Laxus raised an eyebrow, "We got something earlier."

"Yeah. Your point?" Mira asked.

He almost laughed at the innocent expression. _Cheeky Demon. _Laxus shrugged, "Alright, what the heck, let's go."


	34. The Dark Curtain of Night

**Suspenseful, this chapter. Lot of conspiracy type things going on, so it adds to the drama. Anyways, enjoy! The next chapter will be Ryuuzetsu Land, so get ready for some funny, crazy, and fluffy stuff! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 34: The Dark Curtain of Night_

"You know what is required of you, yes?"

"Yes sir. We are to retrieve the Celestial Wizard."

"Umm..sir, I also heard..this one in particular is always around, "That" man. What happens if we're found out by him?"

"That's why this is such a risky strategy, but a necessary one. If he finds you, then forget the Celestial Wizard and run. That man…" Arcadios sweated nervously, "He won't stop beating you until you tell him what he wants or you're dead at his feet…And we can afford neither of those options."

**/**

"What? You felt the magic power?" Erza asked.

Jellal nodded, "And I know it's a person, but I lost them in the crowd. Afterwards, I couldn't track them anymore…"

They had met up again after dark had come over the city. Even though it was still pretty early in the night, Jellal had felt it necessary to speak with her.

Erza frowned, "Do you think Sabertooth is related to this? Or Raven Tail? Both of those guilds have shady characters…"

"…It's not impossible they could be related, I suppose. The God Slayers had me thinking for a bit, but it's most likely because their magic is very old, and therefore more closely related to Zeref's magic. I sometimes get that feel from the Dragon Slayers too, but it's not as strong…" Jellal explained, frowning deeply.

She smiled at him reassuringly, "Well, if the person with the strange magic came back, they'll come back again. We'll get them next time."

He nodded, the frown clearing from his face and morphing into a small smile.

_It's uncanny how she can lift my spirits like that. _

"You're right, of course. I suppose for now we should just enjoy the festival…" he murmured.

Erza nodded approvingly, "Sounds like a plan. One more thing," She walked up and hugged him, whispering into his ear softly, "Make sure you don't get killed."

With that, Erza let him go and headed away, throwing a few last words over her shoulders, "Goodnight, Jellal."

"Night Erza." he answered, turning and walking off himself.

**/**

"CHEERS!"

Everyone in Bar Sun tapped their cups again with satisfied yells.

Romeo was partying with Freed and Bixlow, "We were so good today!"

Natsu and Sting were arm wrestling each other on a table while the guild cheered them on. They were really giving it their all, so much so that the table was splintering from the force.

Lucy frowned at that, "Come on guys, this isn't our guild, so don't break anything- EEEK!"

Natsu finally slammed Sting's hand into the table and completely destroyed it with a triumphant shout, "Hell yeah! You owe me 1,000 jewels!"

"Hell no! You can't break the table, that's cheating!" Sting yelled back.

The Salamander grinned, "Pay up, flashlight."

His brother snarled and tossed a sack of coins, which he handed to Happy with a smirk, "Go get some fish, buddy."

"AYE!" The excited blue exceed flew off with Lector and Frosch, as Charle was in Wendy's lap and Lily was sharpening his sword.

Lucy glanced at Erza, who was still bandaged up, but recovering fast from her 100 monster sweep, "With a healing rate that fast, are you even human?"

Erza laughed, "Wendy and Porlysuca are here after all."

Lisanna glanced at her sister, "What about you? How's your back?"

Mira smiled, "Not as bad as I thought. Porlysuca gave me some medicine and told me to take it easy, so I'll be ready to compete again tomorrow."

Gray tch'd, "I can't believe after that badass monster slaying Erza did that I still couldn't beat Lyon."

"Maybe, but that draw still got us some good points. A Team basically doubled their score in a single day. That's definitely improvement." Lucy explained.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The bar turned into a mess soon after when Natsu got Gray, Erza, and even Lisanna to start barrel surfing on the menu board, much to Cana's irritation when she wasn't allowed to drink any of the said barrels.

Yukino was sitting a little too close to the action and laughed nervously as she stood up and turned to Rogue, "I think I'm gonna get something to eat. Do you wanna come?"

He smiled and nodded, "Sure. Go on ahead, I'll tell Lily where we're going and catch up with you."

She raised an eyebrow, "Why Lily?"

"Gajeel's too busy yelling at Natsu to remember something like that." Rogue explained, gesturing to his brother as he roared at the Salamander for hitting him while barrel surfing.

Yukino giggled at the sight and walked off calling over her shoulder, "Don't be late!"

**/**

The streets were getting quiet as the civilians started turning in for the night, though most of the guilds were still up and about.

Yukino leaned her head back as she walked and stared up at the stars, smiling at the sight. _What a beautiful city for such a beautiful night…It's so warm and peaceful here…_

"Excuse me? You're from Fairy Tail, yes?"

She turned around to see a man standing a few meters behind her.

Yukino nodded, "Yes, I am."

"Could you tell me where they are? I have business with the Master." he explained.

She nodded again, "Well, he should be at Bar Sun with the others…"

The man nodded slightly, "Thank you. If they're that far off…"

Yukino froze at his tone. She didn't like the way he said that and instinctively dropped her hand to her Gate Keys, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm sorry for lying. It's true my business is with Fairy Tail, but it's really just you specifically, young miss."

At this point Yukino had Scorpio and Pisces in her fingers, but then someone came up from behind her and grabbed her hand, swiftly removing the keys and clapping another hand over her mouth as she tried to scream.

The man in front of her rushed forward and grabbed her legs as she tried to kick him, tying her up in a matter of seconds. They gagged her so she couldn't cry for help and then slung her over the first man's shoulders, quietly sneaking through dark alleyways towards the center of the city.

**/**

Rogue followed Yukino's scent up to the restaurant, but frowned when he didn't see her inside. Her scent was mixed with various other people's, so it was hard to track. _Where did she go? Her scent stops here, so- _

**_"ROGUE!" _**

He froze as his keen hearing picked up a shriek in the night, unmistakably Yukino's.

Rogue was in the shadows faster than a person could blink, moving like lightning through the city towards the source of the cry. _What the hell's going on?!_

**/**

"Idiot! You didn't gag her tight enough!"

"Shit, if that guy heard us…"

"Don't think about it, just run faster! We have to get her to the castle, now!"

Yukino tried to move the gag with her mouth again, but this time they had it so tight her cheeks hurt. She was crying from pain and fear, praying Rogue had been close enough to hear her scream.

One of the men spoke again, sounding more confident and at ease, "Yes, just a little more."

_"But nowhere near enough!"_

The men froze as a figure erupted from the shadows in front of them with a terrifying roar, targeting the man with Yukino and breaking his nose with a vicious punch.

Rogue caught her and set her down quickly, then lunged for the other man before he even registered that his partner was down and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him into the brick wall of the alley behind him.

He was well past furious, crimson eyes blazing with rage as he hissed at the man, "Who the hell is behind this?!"

The man gulped, "O-orders are orders! I-it's nothing personal, just- GAH!"

Rogue rammed his knee hard into the man's ribs and cracked several of them, not giving a damn if it made it harder for him to talk. His cohort was out cold and bleeding on the street, so he was the only one who could give the Shadow Dragon information.

"You don't seem to get it. If you don't give me information, then you're nothing to me. By rights, I should kill you here. Now," Rogue looked him straight in the eye and made the man cringe from the enraged red boring into him, _"Who the hell is behind this?!" _

"R-r-ra-rav-AGH!" The man was knocked unconscious and crumpled to the ground as the Shadow Dragon lost patience with his stuttering and bashed him over the head.

Rogue strode over to Yukino and ripped the bindings from her hands and feet, then took off the gag.

She threw her arms around him, sobbing hysterically, "That was so scary…"

"It's fine. It's fine, shh…" he soothed her as best he could, still burning with rage from the attempted kidnapping. After a while, she settled down and wiped her eyes, but wouldn't remove herself from his grasp.

Not that Rogue was about to let her go, anyways.

Yukino sniffed and took a shaky breath, "Th-they were taking me to the castle…"

He glanced down at her in surprise, "The castle? Are you sure?"

"That's what they said…" she murmured.

Rogue narrowed his eyes at that, thinking about what the man had said in his terrified state. _Rav..raven? Raven Tail?! They had a shot at Lucy before, so…_

"…A rendezvous point?" he wondered aloud.

Yukino shook her head, "I don't care, just…Can we get away from here?"

The Shadow Dragon was tempted to drag the men back and question them, but decided it better to take her away from the dark alley. He lifted her up and held her close, letting Yukino rest her head on his shoulder.

Rogue kissed her forehead to soothe her more, "I'm going to do something first. It'll just take a moment."

She nodded and closed her eyes, breathing easier in his grasp. The Shadow Dragon turned to the men and both started sinking into shadow at his silent command, never to see the light of day again. Rogue walked off with Yukino, holding her tight against his chest.

Not once did he even think of looking back.

**/**

Arcadios waited several minutes past the expected return time, then retreated to the castle when it became clear his men wouldn't be returning and feared they would be traced back to him. They were to use Raven Tail as an excuse, but against that man…They could've spilled the information anyways. That's what Arcadios and the castle files classified him as.

Utterly terrifying.

**/**

"You think Raven Tail was behind this?" Makarov asked.

When Rogue had gotten to the bar with Yukino, he had pulled the Master and a few of the guild's primary members aside to an private corner of the room: Mavis, Ur, Laxus, Natsu, Sting, Gajeel, Erza, and Mira.

Yukino hadn't let him go, sitting beside him and clutching his arm tightly. She was scared out of her mind. No one blamed her for that.

Rogue nodded at Makarov's question, "That's what it sounded like. As far as I could tell, anyways."

"The bastard was probably shaking in his boots. You're a scary person to piss off. Gee-hee." Gajeel chuckled.

Ur glanced at him, "This isn't something we can take lightly. That's twice now they've aimed for us outside the tournament, so what's their goal?"

Erza closed her eyes in thought, "Considering they tried to take Lucy last time…I wonder if they're just targeting Celestial Mages?"

Sting narrowed his eyes, "So when they failed to capture Lucy, they went after Yukino instead?"

"No, that wouldn't make sense…" Mavis interrupted, tapping her chin with a finger, "Raven Tail has that Obra man who can drain magic power to zero in an instant. When they tried to capture Lucy, he wasn't there because he had to be with his team. However, this time Yukino was taken after the tournament was shut down for the day. He could've been sent out this time, but he wasn't. No, someone's just using the tension between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail as a cover up."

Mira shifted uneasily, "So, someone else is targeting Celestial Mages? Like who?"

"…I wonder if the ones who went after Lucy really were Raven Tail." Laxus murmured.

All eyes moved towards him as the Lightning Mage went on, "With that incident, we can't be sure it was or wasn't Raven Tail, because that Obra guy had to be with his team. This new incident…It's for certain someone else was behind it and used Raven Tail as a coverup. And I think I have an idea who."

Makarov raised an eyebrow, "You do? Tell us."

Laxus frowned, "Have you ever seen Yukino and Lisanna side by side? If you didn't know any better, they could be twins. And there _was _someone who threatened Lisanna today, wasn't there?"

Dead silence met his words, broken by a hiss from Natsu, "Sabertooth…"

"You think they mistook Yukino for their real target?" Rogue questioned.

Laxus shrugged, "Hell if I know, but it would make sense after what happened today. And that Minerva chick would be smart enough to use Raven Tail as a coverup. Call me crazy, but…It seems like a possibility."

Makarov crossed his arms and sighed heavily, "So, our enemies are still the same. As for their purposes…I don't believe we need to breach that topic."

No one argued with that statement.

Mavis suddenly smiled, "Well, this was an unfortunate incident, but we can't stay stuck in this dark mood. Let's find something to make everyone cheer up!"

Gajeel grinned, "Straight from cloak and dagger to having a party? First Master, you speak my language better than any of these suckers! Gee-hee!"

That seemed to lighten the mood, though Makarov sent them off with a final order, "I doubt I need to tell you this, but just for now, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue. These kidnappers are clearly not powerful without the element of surprise, so I urge you to stay with Lisanna, Lucy, and Yukino when you can. No one would dare make a move at them with you nearby. That was proven when these men waited for Yukino to separate from Rogue, tonight. Understood?"

Natsu growled, "Like you have to ask."

"No one's getting near Lucy." Sting promised, nodding agreement.

Rogue just kept Yukino close, his answer being a silent, dark glare.

They were moving back to their friends when Levy burst in the door, gasping and looking excited, "Guys! I found out something good!"

**/**

Jellal, dressed as Mystogan, walked through the city quietly, pondering the day's events through his head. The magic power from earlier had been fleeting, but he was certain he'd caught a glimpse of a hooded figure slinking away from the arena. To where, he didn't know, but that was irrelevant. Now he knew they were here and could track their magic power once he got close enough to sense it.

The city at this time was quiet, full of a peace he had started to relish. The life of an outlaw, constantly moving from place to place made times like staying in Crocas all the more enjoyable because he could settle down for a while. Jellal stopped in the middle of the street and closed his eyes, just standing there as the summer night breeze rushed by.

But with it came something dark. Something familiar.

His eyes flew open as he felt the mysterious magic power again and raced towards the source. _I've got you, this time!_

**/**

The figure glided silently down the darkened streets, it's stride slow from being deep in thought. Eventually, it came to a stop and glanced up at the moon, still for a time before it murmured softly, "Four more days before the Eclipse…"

It glanced to the ground at it's sandals, then continued on, whispering to itself with a voice so quiet that even the gentle summer wind couldn't carry, "Maybe I should go see them…Just to remind myself…"


	35. Ryuuzetsu Land

**Okay! This is all the funny side stuff before the huge series of battles that comes next! Enjoy it while it lasts, because from this point on, most of the chapters are going to be fight centered! You won't see another one like this for a WHILE! With that in mind, I hope you like it, and as always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 35: Ryuuzetsu Land_

"A swimming pool?" Erza asked.

Wendy clapped her hands together, "That sounds great!"

"Is it close?"

Levy nodded as she answered Lucy's question, "Yep. Fiore's number one summer hotspot, Ryuuzetsu Land!"

Needless to say, the guild members were totally thrilled about it.

Sting grinned, "Oh, we're definitely going there!"

Gray nodded agreement, "It's really hot anyways."

"That's just me." Natsu said with a smirk.

Lisanna clucked her tongue, "Natsu!"

Gajeel sniggered, "I think your interpretation of what he means by, "Hot" is different from ours. Gee-hee!"

Lisanna processed that and blushed, but still laughed.

Lucy glanced over at Makarov, "Can we go, Master?"

The old man thought about that for half a second. The chance to see beautiful girls in swimsuits? Deny that?

**MADNESS! **

"WE'RE GOING!" he declared, smiling largely in satisfaction. His guild cheered with excitement.

**/**

A hooded figure stood outside of the bar, listening to the sounds of the crazed Fairy Tail. For a moment, it bit it's lip, then walked away silently. _I can't…I just can't...face them, yet…_

**/**

Ryuuzetsu Land was huge.

The whole place was toasty warm with heat lights that let people get a tan even in the dark of night. There were so many different swimming pools and water rides, even a bar in one of the more shallow pools where you could sit in the water and drink to your hearts content.

Cana was hooked the second she saw that.

Lucy arrived with Erza, Gray, and Juvia.

She laughed excitedly upon arrival, "This is awesome!"

Erza stretched, "Mmm, this feels so nice…"

"Erza, is your injury okay?" Juvia asked as she gestured to the bandage around her leg.

Gray smirked, "This is Erza we're talking about."

Lucy glanced over where Romeo was riding on a train in the water, "Check it out, it's so much fun! Hey Natsu, wanna try it out?!"

Natsu, who was just floating on the surface of a deep pool, eyed the device and laughed nervously, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass on that- Blgh!" He was suddenly yanked underwater, then came up coughing a moment later.

He whipped his head from side to side until Lisanna popped up laughing in her Mermaid Take Over, "Ahaha! Got you!" She floated on her back and swam in a circle around him with a purple fish tail.

Natsu smiled darkly, "Hey, come here a sec."

Lisanna stuck her tongue out at him, "I refuse!"

"Don't make me come over there, Lisanna." he warned playfully.

She put her hands together in mock fear, "Whatever would I do if you came after me? Such a scary dragon!"

He licked his lips, "Are you really sure you wanna find out?"

In response, she flicked her tail and splashed him with water.

Natsu laughed and swam after her, "Remember, you asked for it!"

Lisanna dove down to escape, so he was quickly racing after her. They went down a few meters, then she started swimming circles around him easily, getting in close, then darting away whenever he had a go at her.

He came up for air and decided to let her come to him, waiting for a bit until fingers brushed his foot. Natsu dove down instantly and got a hold of her wrist to drag her up and wrap his arms around her middle before she could wriggle free.

Lisanna surrendered and rested her head on his shoulder as they floated, cerulean eyes brimming with happiness, "Looks like I got caught. So, what now?"

"Huh, I wonder?" He swam them over to a small, shallow cove behind a decorative boulder where it was more private. Natsu set her on a short ledge so the lower half of her tail was still submerged, then leaned in and kissed her. She pressed back and caressed his face, mermaid tail swishing in delight.

Once they separated, he gathered her in his arms and sat on the ledge, leaning back against the rock. Lisanna snuggled closer and set her head against his chest with a soft murmur, "I love you, you know that?"

Natsu's grin was even bigger than normal, "I know."

**/**

Lucy walked around the pool to where Sting had found an empty table and was just relaxing on a chair, eyes closed with his hands behind his head. She couldn't help looking over his muscular torso with the huge scar that ran diagonally across it.

Following the scar down, her face got hot as she realized where her vision was going and quickly looked back up to his face.

Lucy frowned. He was smirking. His eyes were closed, but he was smirking.

As she watched, she became more confused as he seemed to start laughing a little. Then she jumped when he sniggered, "Finished staring?"

He opened one eye and grinned at her, making Lucy's jaw drop, "You were-! And you let me?!"

"Are you kidding me? Your scent changes a little when you get happy or embarrassed, and it's kind of nice. But the look on your face is the best." Sting laughed.

Her cheek puffed up in mock anger, "Haha, so funny. Here's another funny one: Getting a tan won't make you any less white. Ahahahaha!" She laughed as she realized how ironically funny that really was.

To his credit, Sting laughed too, then stood up and looked her over for a bit.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"You know, with you gone for three months, I almost forgot how tasty you look in swimsuits." he said with a straight face.

Her body flushed with heat at the statement, but then he started roaring with laughter, "Oh, my god, the look on your face! Gahahahaha!"

Lucy wailed, "Don't say stuff like that just to make me blush!"

Sting's grin got even bigger and he suddenly picked her up. She threw her arms around his neck at the sudden loss of ground beneath her feet, "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"You need to cool off, princess!" he laughed, then jumped into the pool with her.

**/**

Happy ran with the exceed through the park, "There's an aquarium over there! Let's go see!"

Frosch ran with him, losing her frog costume for a tiny swimsuit like Charle's, who shrugged, "If you insist."

"Have a good time, Charle!" Lector said cheerfully.

Lily was in the back of the group, sipping on a drink, "Mmm, nice kiwi juice!"

Levy took a step after them with Gajeel, "Let's check it out, too!"

"Ah?! The hell should I go there for?!" he demanded.

She gave him the big eyes treatment, "Because I asked you nicely."

Gajeel held that stupidly, innocently cute look for about ten seconds before he surrendered, grumbling to himself as he followed the exceed.

Levy smiled happily, "Great, let's go!"

**/**

At the edge of the pool, Laxus glanced at Mira, "Oi, where's your brother?"

"Elfman? You know, I haven't seen him for a while. I wonder…" she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

**/**

Behind a boulder, Elfman and Evergreen stared at the back of Laxus and Mira's heads with unease.

Elfman muttered quietly, "Crap, I definitely don't want them to find us here."

"No shit, that'd be terrible if we were found out!" Evergreen hissed.

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Hey, this was your idea!"

She pointed a finger at him, "Don't think weird things! This was just for a change of mood!"

**/**

Completely oblivious, the arguing couple was being watched by a mischievous Freed and Bixlow, who sniggered at the sight.

Freed smirked, "Well, well…"

"They're going out, eh?" Bixlow cackled while his puppets repeated him, "Going out! Going out!"

**/ **

Juvia led Gray to the biggest water slide she could find, and was delighted to learn it was for two people, decorated with hearts and cupids all over.

She pointed at it, "Let's go on that one, Gray!"

He frowned, "Love-love-slide? The hell kinda name is that..?"

Juvia blushed and looked away, "It's for people to slide around while hugging each other…"

"No frickin' way!" he yelled.

"Then I'll go instead."

Juvia squealed as Lyon suddenly appeared and picked her up bridal style, walking towards the slide while Gray shouted after him, "Oi! Don't just take my guild mate!"

"Then shall I go with you in her place?"

Ur patted her student's shoulder with a smirk, who predictably freaked out, "HELL NO!"

**/**

Sherry arrived with the Blue Pegasus mages and took a seat with Mira and Jenny, joining them for girl talk.

Unfortunately, the hot seat was presented straight to Rogue and Yukino, who by chance, happened to be sitting at the same table as the love-obsessed women.

Jenny, a little oblivious since she didn't know the Dragon Slayers well, looked the shirtless Rogue over and raised an eyebrow in approval, "Well, you're quite handsome in that dark thief-in-the-night kind of way. Wanna hang out some time?"

Yukino puffed up her cheek, then got up and walked behind the Shadow Dragon's seat, leaning over so she had her hands on his chest with a little, uncharacteristic smirk, "Sorry, girl. This one's _all_ mine."

Rogue had no complaints, seeming rather satisfied with the way her chest was sitting atop his head.

Sherry giggled, "Doesn't look like he has a problem with that."

"I'll say. Look at that little smile." Jenny sniggered.

His face was immediately expressionless, though betrayed by the faintest hint of red.

**/**

Erza sipped her margarita and sighed, "You guys are so annoying."

The Trimens were surrounding her, commenting on her beauty with suave words.

"You look gorgeous today, Erza."

"How in the hell are you so fashionable?"

"You know, I could be your pet."

"Ah! Such a beautiful perfume…"

Erza finally had it and started barking at them, first at Hibiki, "What was your MPF score today?! Not enough effort!"

She moved on to Ren with a glare, "You've got Sherry. Don't cheat."

Rolling on to Eve, she shook her head, "Wiped out from one shot yesterday? Don't come here injured like that!"

Ichiya was next, but Erza just stared for a second and turned away, "I'm leaving."

"Please scold me too!" he begged.

She was halfway to the pool when she stopped dead at the sight of something..out of place, and muttered, "Exactly what are you doing there?"

Jellal, in swim trunks, but still wearing his mask, shrugged, "I followed the magic source and ended up here."

"You..stand out too much…" she managed, secretly eyeing the man's upper body.

**/**

Lucy was messing around with Sting in the water, just splashing and laughing like idiots. Something weird touched her ankle and she whipped her gaze down, staring as Mavis suddenly swam up between them.

"She wanted to play!"

They looked over as Makarov called at them, then proceeded to continue checking out the various women in the water park.

Mavis suddenly climbed on Sting's shoulders with a laugh, "Let's have chicken fights!"

Lucy couldn't help but smile, "Not enough people. Sorry, Master."

The ghost/girl jumped off of Sting and did a little cannonball between them. When she popped up, she smiled at the two, "I'm glad to see my little trick had a happy ending."

Lucy frowned, "Little trick? What are you talking about?"

Mavis giggled, "Oh, I was the one who tripped you on Tenrou Island so you'd land on Sting."

The White Dragon's jaw dropped as he spluttered, "Wh-wha-excuse me?! You were-HUH?!"

She pouted, "Yep, then that stupid black dragon had the nerve to interrupt my setup! Can you believe it?! How rude! Oh well, you two got together anyways, so I shouldn't complain. You're both so cute!"

Lucy and Sting were speechless, just staring at the giggling ghost.

Lucy finally muttered in his ear, "I think…the First Master and Mira would have a ball if they knew each other's true colors."

Sting shuddered at the idea, "Don't tell them. Ever. They'll be the death of us all."

Nodding agreement, she pointed at the bar, "I'm getting a drink, so I'll see you in a minute, okay?"

"Sure." he replied.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

After walking to the bar and getting a margarita, Lucy sipped her drink and looked around.

Levy, Charle, and Frosch were laughing while Gajeel, Happy, Lector, and Lily had their faces behind a board that made them look like undersea creatures.

Wendy and Romeo were playing with Chelia, laughing like the little kids they were as they splashed each other with water.

Cana was hanging out with Bacchus's crew, joking around with the other members while Bacchus floated in an inner tube and grinned at the sight.

The Trimens, rejected by Erza, but undefeated in they minds, decided to flirt with Laki and Kinana, who retreated immediately.

Gray and Lyon were still arguing, Juvia trying to separate them, but also wanting to identify the truth of the awkward love triangle. At the same time, Ur watched from the side and laughed.

Natsu was still lying on the rocks with Lisanna, who had lost the Mermaid Take Over and pretty much looked like she was sleeping on his chest. Not that the Salamander looked like he had the faintest complaint about that, not with the stupidly huge grin on his face.

Rogue was now caught in the middle of a war between Yukino and Jenny, who still had enough trouble understanding how a Dragon Slayer's instincts worked to annoy Yukino into plopping herself in the Shadow Dragon's lap and explaining every detail of why Rogue was _hers. _

Mirajane and Sherry giggled crazily, having too much fun watching the battle to interrupt it and confirm Yukino's position.

Erza and Jellal were talking in the pool, just standing there and not doing much else, though Ichiya stared at Jellal with a look of hesitant jealousy, unsure of what to make of the masked man.

Lucy smiled to herself. _Everyone's having so much fun…_

"Oh, blondie…"

She froze and whipped around, slipping and falling on her butt as she saw Flare Corona come up behind her. Lucy stammered, "Y-you're from Raven Tail! What do you want?!"

The red head smirked, "Just wanted to talk for a sec."

"W-were you guys the ones who tried to kidnap Yukino earlier?!" Lucy demanded.

Flare frowned, "Yukino? Who the hell is that?"

Lucy blinked, surprised at the honest confusion, but still suspicious, "You..didn't try to take her a few hours ago?"

"Nope. Not us, anyways. Maybe someone else." she shrugged.

Lucy swallowed nervously, "So, what do you want?"

Flare stared at her for a bit, then looked away, "…I'm sorry for the first day…"

That definitely caught her off guard.

Lucy was speechless, but then Sting came up with a frown, "Oi, what's this about?"

Flare glanced at him, then walked away, "It's nothing…"

He stared after her, then helped Lucy up, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, still watching Flare walk off, "Y-yeah..I'm okay."

Lucy stared for a moment longer, then smiled, "You know…"

"Um..know what?" Sting asked.

She shook her head, "No, never mind. Let's go see the others." Lucy led him away, still smiling a little to herself.

_Maybe she's not so bad…_

**/**

After a while, Erza and Mira somehow managed to get Jellal and Laxus to become involved in a chicken fight while they held the two girls on their shoulders. The fight wasn't the most playful though, since Erza summoned a sword and Mira's hands became demon claws.

As the two of them fought atop Jellal and Laxus, they kept wrenching the poor men's heads from side to side with the force of their strikes. Mira accidentally strained Laxus's neck too much at one point and he released an electric shock into the water by reflex.

Jellal immediately collapsed from electrocution and dropped Erza, but leaped back up and glared at the lightning mage, "That was cheating!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Laxus protested.

His, "Rival" apparently thought otherwise. Or maybe he was just pissed that Erza had fallen off of him. Jellal crossed his arms, "Not that it matters. I could defeat you, anyways."

Laxus's eyebrow twitched as Mira hopped off his shoulders and he approached the other man, "Oh? You think you're stronger than me?"

"I've spent seven years gaining experience and destroying dark guilds. Of course I'm stronger." Jellal stated.

The lightning mage grinned darkly, "Oh, that's interesting. I'll bet I can prove you wrong…"

The masked man's eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint, "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet it is." Laxus growled.

The two stared each other down until Titania and the Demon got between them. Erza pushed Jellal back, "Not here. You could blow your cover."

"It might be worth it." he grunted.

Mira nodded as she looked up at Laxus, "We're supposed to be having fun. Save the fighting for later."

He rolled his eyes as they both turned away and muttered under their breath.

"Sparky…"

"Criminal…"

Both men stopped dead in their tracks.

Erza gave Jellal a cautious look, "Hey…"

Laxus grinned and cracked his neck, still back to back with the other man, "Sparky, huh…"

"Wh-what?" Mira stammered.

Jellal's eye flashed and his body went gold, then he flew out of the water the same time Laxus transformed into lightning and chased after him. The two mages crashed into each other multiple times in midair, creating shockwaves wherever they made contact.

**/**

A bolt of lightning hit the water and electrocuted Elfman, Evergreen, Freed, and Bixlow, who were immediately rendered helpless.

Elfman gagged, "M-m-man…"

"As expe-eected of L-Laxus..!" Freed managed, still twitching from electric shock.

**/**

A ray of gold light came down on the group, but Sting sucked it up and grinned, "Thanks for the food!"

"They really shouldn't be doing this…" Lucy muttered, a little nervous that two absurdly powerful mages were fighting when they were _meant _to be having a good time.

Most of the civilians quickly left, a smart move on their part.

**/**

Rogue was just sitting with Yukino, chatting with her after they _finally _got away from the torturous girls who had rather devilishly enjoyed their discomfort. He hadn't gotten any alone time with her since the tournament had ended that day, as their dinner plans had been interrupted by kidnappers.

Now he had her alone for almost five minutes before a stray bolt of lightning hit him in the back and made him roar. Yukino stared at him with wide eyes, but he grinned.

_So that's how it is, eh?! _

Rogue tried to look as calm as he possibly could at Yukino, though his eye still twitched, "I'll be just a moment."

Her eyes widened. She knew his game and reached for him, "Rogue, hold on-!"

But he had already melted into the shadows.

**/**

Laxus and Jellal flew down close to the water, skimming over the surface as they raced at each other head on with their fists raised.

Erza stuttered, "J-Jellal, quit…"

"Don't do it...Laxus?" Mira gasped.

As they got closer, Rogue dropped from the shadows of the roof and dove towards their point of collision with darkness rippling along his arms, _"You bastards…"_

Yukino's face went white, "Rogue? Umm, stop? Please?"

As Laxus and Jellal punched at each other, Rogue came down and slammed his fists into their heads with a roar, _"You've both made me angry!"_

The darkness collided with the electricity and light, generating a massive explosion that annihilated the water park.

**/**

From Crocas Garden, the Sabertooth lodgings, Zancrow looked over the city from the balcony with his team, squinting as a huge blast lit up the night, "The hell is that?"

"Who cares…" Orga shrugged.

**/**

Ryuuzetsu Land was a total wreck, unrecognizable with people and debris lying everywhere.

Rogue stood in the center, grimacing with his arms crossed.

Jellal had been sent flying into Erza, who was now sitting on his face with a shocked blush.

Laxus had his head buried between Mira's breasts, who also blushed furiously.

Everyone else was sprawled out in various places, some in extremely awkward and embarrassing positions.

Jellal and Laxus, hardly coherent, muttered in unison in regards to their current predicament:

"Soft…"

Erza and Mira both started steaming red from their opinions, until Ur grabbed the two half-conscious men and froze them together before she started yelling at them, shaking her fist in anger,

"Dumbasses! What the hell were you thinking, starting a fight while we're all relaxing?! And to top it off, you had the nerve to _womanize _Erza and Mira after you got your asses kicked?! Perverted idiots!"

The two just groaned while they were scolded, while Erza and Mira attempted to process what had just happened, blushing strawberry red and stuttering like complete fools, "H-he said.." "S-soft?!"

When the police arrived, they immediately located Makarov and confirmed the repair bill was to be sent to Fairy Tail, much to his and Mavis's comical sadness.

Yukino protested at Rogue's actions, "Was that really necessary?!"

"It was going to happen anyways, what with those two going against each other." he argued.

She puffed up her cheek, "That's no excuse! You didn't have to blow the whole place up…And why did it get so cold?"

Rogue's face turned crimson, "U-um, Yukino, your top…"

She glanced down and shrieked, covering herself when the bikini top, shredded from the explosion, just about fell off.

The Shadow Dragon tried to apologize weakly, as his eyes wouldn't move from the glimpse of pale skin, but he was drowned out by Yukino's wail, "DON'T JUST STARE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Rogue snapped back into reality and picked her up, then melted into shadow and flew off with her.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

He managed to get them into their hotel room and reemerged from the shadows, setting her down before swiftly turning around for her privacy.

Yukino was surprised though and stared at him, "Since when could you take other people with you into shadows?"

Rogue shrugged, "Something I figured out over the last three months."

She strode over to her suitcase and got a change of clothes, quickly putting them on before she turned back to the waiting Shadow Dragon. "It's okay. I'm presentable…"

Rogue looked over his shoulder at her, "Sorry. I guess I got a little frustrated."

"I understand, but…You've gotten much more aggressive lately. It's not like you…" she murmured, then frowned, "I haven't seen you get so out of control in..what, nine years now? Ten? I don't even remember…"

He was quiet for a while, "…Nine, I think…For whatever reason, I have felt more..irritable lately…"

Rogue looked troubled, so Yukino decided it was best to cheer him up and hugged him, "Maybe you just missed me a lot? Seems like you got a little wild while I was gone for three months…Do I need to tame the Shadow Dragon again?" She finished with a playful tone.

He smirked at the challenge, "If you think you're up to it."

"Well, I think I am, so you'd better not slink away." she laughed.

Rogue turned and by chance glanced at the clock, shoulders sagging, "Dammit, it's already that late?"

Yukino also eyed the time and shrugged, "Oh, well. You're still not getting away!"

She dragged him to the bedside and pulled him under the sheets, despite his protest, "Can I at least get out of these swim trunks?"

"Nope. You don't have time since you have to sleep, remember?" she giggled, making him lie on his back so she could rest her head on his chest. Rogue finally gave in and put his arms around her, smiling contentedly.

Yukino snuggled into him, voice etched with a gentle amusement, "This is what you wanted right? Just some alone time?"

He closed his eyes and whispered his response, "It's long overdue…"

She laughed again and set her ear against his chest and listened, then murmured happily, "You've got a strong heart…I love that sound…"

When he didn't respond, she glanced up, but Rogue, surprisingly, was already fast asleep. Yukino smiled at him, "Every time..acting all tough and then going out like a light.."

_"Just like a shadow…"_


	36. Naval Battle

**Alright, the big fights start next chapter! So aside with all the fun messing around bits and into those intense battle sequences that I LOVE to write! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 36: Naval Battle_

"It's here! The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games! The competition for today, Naval Battle, is about to begin!"

The crowd in the Domus Flau cheered excitedly at Chapati's announcement, then gasped in amazement as a huge magic seal appeared on arena floor and created a massive sphere of water in midair.

**/**

Mato started explaining, "Each team will send out one person as usual to compete, then those people will battle it out in the water! Players who are kicked out of the sphere of water will lose, and the last remaining person will be declared the winner! But there's a twist! Should only two people remain in the sphere, a special rule will be added! This is called the five minute rule! If one of the last two leave the sphere during those five minutes, that person will go straight to last place!"

**/**

Chapati carried on for him, "It's like a water sumo match! Day four's special guest judge is the Sherzad Theater Chairman, Rabian! What do you think so far, Mr. Rabian?"

"It looks fun, thank you very much!" the man replied.

**/**

"My turn!" Lucy chirped, having already changed into a swimsuit.

Erza nodded, "You can use Aquarius here. Good luck!"

"Win it for us!" Gray encouraged.

Sting grinned, "You'll do great!" She smiled in response, a little mischievously, "Where's my good luck-mpf!"

He already knew where she was going and caught her by surprise with a kiss. Lucy pulled back after a few moments and gasped, "What did I tell you about warning me?"

"Oh yeah, you did mention something like that." Sting answered innocently.

She stuck her tongue out playfully and walked off to the field.

**/**

"Fairy Tail A is sending in Lucy Heartfilia!"

**/**

Mira also changed into a swimsuit, "I'm going in!"

Natsu grinned, "Mira, eh? No way we're losing with her competing!"

"I almost feel sorry for the other teams. Gee-hee!" Gajeel cackled.

Ur smirked, "Don't hold back just because they're all weaker."

Mira smiled fiercely, "I won't. Except maybe Lucy. I'll just drop her out of the water and not hit her."

Laxus chuckled, "Either way, do your best."

Her smile got wider, "Of course I will." With that, she headed out to join Lucy.

**/**

"Fairy Tail B goes with Mirajane Strauss!"

**/**

"Shall I go in? If it's water, I can shock them all." Orga offered.

Rustyrose shook his head with a dramatic hand motion, "That wouldn't be the most beautiful of victories!"

"No. Beauty aside, this isn't your fight, Orga." Sabertooth's team glanced at Minerva as she smiled, "It's mine. There's something..I want to see."

**/**

"It's her! The daughter of Sabertooth's Master! Minerva is here!"

**/**

Alexei grunted, "Flare, you're turn."

"Yes sir." she replied obediently.

Kurohebi sniggered, "No help, this time. Too many people in one place."

Flare gave him an angry look, "I don't need help. Just shut up and watch."

**/**

"Raven Tail sends in Flare Corona!"

**/**

The girls all jumped into the water, quickly followed by the members of the other guilds.

"Lamia Scale is going with Chelia Blendy! Jenny Realight, a reserve member for Blue Pegasus, also joins the fray! From Mermaid Heel, Risley is here as well! Quite the beautiful picture! A girl from every team has come in!"

Needless to say, the crowd was definitely pleased at the new development, even though Rocker, the competitor from Quatro Puppy, was completely ignored.

"The rules are simple! If you fall out, you lose! Naval Battle, START!" The bell gonged and the huge underwater fight began.

**/**

Lucy immediately whipped out her gold key, "Right off the bat, here I come! Gate of the water bearer, I open thee! Aquarius!"

The mermaid spirit appeared with an angry yell, creating a vortex in the water, "Take this! The sea is my playground!"

While most of the girls looked slightly intimidated by the fierce mermaid, Minerva just appraised her calmly, while Mira smirked, "Not happening, Lucy! I know that trick!"

She entered her Satan Soul and with one swipe, dissipated the powerful vortex of water.

Aquarius gaped, "What the-?!"

Lucy whined, "Mira!"

"Sorry!" she said innocently.

Jenny grinned, "And while Mira's busy with her…See ya puppy!" She delivered a powerful kick to Rocker, who promptly fell out of the sphere.

**/**

"Too bad! Quatro Puppy has dropped out already!"

**/**

Chelia went on the offensive and used her magic to swim fast after Risley, sending a burst of black wind that seemed to lose effectiveness in the water, "Sky God's Boreas!"

Risley used her Gravity Change to slim down and easily dodged the attack, "Don't underestimate the chubby!"

The men in the crowd drooled over her transformation, to the disgust of the women also watching.

Aquarius sparred with Mira's power for a bit, then tch'd, "This won't end well, so I'm getting out."

Lucy froze, "Wh-what?!"

"I've got a date." the mermaid sighed, then vanished despite her master's protest.

Red hair wrapped around her ankles and yanked her down, hurling her towards the bottom. She stared up as Flare turned away, her hair already going after Minerva next.

Lucy whipped out her next key, "Virgo!" The Maid Spirit appeared beneath her and stopped her from falling, then pushed her back up into the fray. She sighed in relief, "Phew, that was close…"

**/**

Sting yelled, "You're doing great!"

"Shaddup, that much is obvious." Gray muttered.

Erza nodded, "Even if Aquarius is out of action, Lucy's in good shape. Mira won't go after her immediately, at least until there are only three people left. It's almost certain that'll come down to Mira and Minerva as the last two, so it'd be best for Lucy to exit as third. And if Mira manages to knock Minerva out within five minutes, she automatically gets second place."

"The ideal scenario, is it?" Rogue murmured.

**/**

Minerva blocked Flare's attack and simply stayed in place, watching the match play out from above the others.

The Raven Tail mage tch'd and grunted, "I'm getting bored! Try this on for size!" Her hair extended to extraordinary lengths until she could reach every other competitor.

Mira shot forward and pulled Lucy away as the hair tried to catch them, but Flare got Jenny, Risley, and Chelia in her grip and hurled all three out in one go.

**/**

"Amazing! Flare's Red Hair managed to knock out almost half of the competition with one go!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

Mira spoke quietly to Lucy, "I'll knock her out, then I'm going to drop you out, too. Leave Minerva to me, okay? I'll get you in second."

"Don't count me out just yet! I can still go on!" Lucy said determinedly.

Mira smiled and nodded, "Well, if you think you can handle it…Huh?!"

Suddenly, Mira was no longer next to Lucy.

She dropped from the air and landed hard on the ground with a squeal of surprise. Lucy shouted, "Mira! What just-?"

She stopped as she caught sight of Minerva with her hand facing Mira, smirking with success. _It was her? Did she teleport Mira out of the sphere?! _

**_/_**

"Too bad! Even though Fairy Tail had both members in the sphere, Mira has fallen out! Well, fourth place isn't too bad!" Chapati said.

Yajima nodded, "Now it's just Fairy Tail A, Sabertooth, and Raven Tail left. By power, it's fairly safe to say Minerva has the advantage here."

"Amazing, thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed.

**/**

"Well, this complicates things." Erza muttered.

Rogue narrowed his eyes, "Without Aquarius, does Lucy even have a chance against Minerva? Flare, maybe, but that woman…"

"She can tough it out. Lucy's strong." Gray argued.

Sting said nothing, sharp blue eyes fixed on the Celestial mage in the water sphere. _Lucy…_

**/**

"We take her together."

Lucy jumped and spun around as Flare swam up behind her. She gaped at the Raven Tail mage, "Wh-what?!"

"Don't stutter, blondie. You know as well as I do we can't beat that woman on our own." She admitted grudgingly, "We team up and throw her out, then settle our fight from the first day."

Lucy stared at her, then nodded, "Fine with me…"

Minerva smirked, "Two on one? How dirty…Not that it matters. Very well, then. Come."

Flare's hair extended and shot through the water like a mass of crimson eels, trying to wrap around Minerva, but the other woman blocked with her wave magic easily.

Lucy reached for her keys to follow up, but suddenly they were gone. She glanced around, trying to see if she had dropped them, but then Flare hissed, "Shit, she's got your keys!"

Lucy's head whipped up at Minerva, who held the keys up with a confident sneer. _When did she do that?!_

**/**

"What a surprise! An unlikely alliance seems to have been formed between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Hmm..though it seems like Lucy has lost access to her gate keys. That's quite a disadvantage." Yajima analyzed.

**/**

Lucy pulled out her Fleuve d'etoiles and lashed out with the whip, trying to catch Minerva and retrieve her keys while Flare's hair gathered and turned into two huge, crimson snakes that hissed and snapped at the Sabertooth mage.

Minerva gathered wave magic in her hands and destroyed the snakes, at the same time repelling the sparkling whip. She then hurled multiple spheres of the wave matter at the two girls, who cried out as they made contact and exploded. Flare lashed out again, but suddenly, Minerva wasn't above them anymore.

"Here, little raven."

Flare spun around and shrieked as Minerva enveloped her in the wave matter and generated a large underwater explosion.

Lucy called out, "Flare!"

The red head was stunned, sinking fast to the bottom. Minerva disappeared, then appeared in front of Lucy with the same attack ready to fire. The mass of wave matter launched, but overshot when Lucy was yanked down towards the bottom. Flare's hair released her as she fell out and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

The Celestial mage stared down at the Raven Tail mage with slight disbelief. _She…She saved me..._

**/**

"Flare's out! Raven Tail ends in third place! Can Lucy hold her own against Minerva?! The five minute rule starts now!" Chapati announced.

The timer started ticking.

**/**

Minerva smiled, "Now then…it's just us, at last…"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "What does that mean?"

The Sabertooth mage continued to smile and shook her head, "With my magic power, I could throw you out just like I did to the Demon, but…I have an experiment I want to try out. Let's see how long you can last, Fairy Tail."

She launched a small amount of the wave matter, which disappeared, then reappeared next to Lucy and exploded.

Minerva fired a couple more as Lucy staggered underwater from the force of the blows. _Ow..that stuff just keeps hitting me everywhere…What IS it? _

She cried out as Minerva hit her with a larger mass of the explosive wave matter, hurling her towards the outside, but another blast in her back kept the Celestial mage from falling out.

**/**

Lector shifted uneasily, "She can't do anything like this…Not without her keys!"

"Judging by Minerva's power, I'd say whether she has her keys or not is irrelevant." Lily remarked.

Happy shook his head, "Maybe, but at least she'd have her magic…"

**/**

Lucy tch'd as another stinging blast scorched her leg. _I'll show this woman I can take everything she throws at me! _

The timer ticked down to the one minute point as Lucy took blow after blow without a hint of surrendering.

Once the clock hit fifty-nine seconds, Minerva sighed, "It's about time I send you flying."

Lucy glared at her fiercely, "If I lose here..I'd never be able to face everyone who's tried so hard! I'm not betraying their feelings! I'm not just giving up so easily!"

Minerva stared at her, stopping the flow of magic around her hand. There were thirty seconds left now.

**/**

"Wh-what is this?! Minerva stopped attacking! If she waits much longer, the clock will pass five minutes!"

**/**

Gray smirked, "Alright, maybe she's too tired to keep attacking Lucy!"

Rogue narrowed his eyes, "You think…?"

**/**

Orga sniggered, "Here comes the devil."

Zancrow tch'd and walked off, "Her big finish, huh? Who cares."

He went into the dark hallway where he wouldn't have to watch his guild mate. _Of all the people in Sabertooth…_

_You're the one...I hate the most…_

_Minerva…_

**/**

Minerva's eyes became sadistic. Sting's blood froze at the sight.

Lucy was blasted with a massive amount of energy that made her shriek.

The stadium watched in shock as Minerva increased her power and shouted at her opponent, "You're head's in the clouds, Fairy Tail! Who do you think we are?! We're the strongest guild in the world! We're Sabertooth!"

The massive energy exploded and sent Lucy flying, but she vanished right before she fell out of the water sphere. Minerva reached out and grabbed Lucy as she reappeared, crashing her knee into the helpless girl's back.

Lucy choked from the force, but Minerva started blasting her with countless spheres of energy.

**/**

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted.

Ur stared in shock, "Minerva stopped her from exiting…?"

"That bitch just wants to torture her…" Gajeel hissed, bristling with fury.

Laxus gritted his teeth, "The timer's run out...It's already obvious who won, so why isn't the match over?!"

**/**

_"ENOUGH!_" Sting screeched.

He was about to lose his mind. The water around Lucy was going red from her blood.

A faint laugh caught his attention and he whipped towards the source. Orga, Rufus, and Rustyrose smirked and sneered at him.

The White Dragon was spitting in fury, **_"SABERTOOTH!" _**

**/**

Minerva laughed with sadistic glee, still firing attacks out at Lucy. The blonde girl was unconscious by now, sinking as the Sabertooth mage kept the pressure up.

**/**

Arcadios paled at the sight of Lucy's too-still form and shouted at his soldiers, "Have her stop! The Celestial mage will be destroyed! End the match!"

**/**

Mato called for a ceasefire, but Minerva already had a mass of energy charged for the finishing blow, which she fired with a small, "Oops."

Sting hit the arena floor in a blur of speed and flew towards the water as Minerva shot the sphere at Lucy with a smirk. He roared again, **"STOP IT!"**

Suddenly, the sphere of magic was cut and dissipated.

Minerva's eyes widened as Natsu, Gajeel, and Rogue flashed onto the field.

Natsu had requipped and had Igneo blazing in his hands.

Gajeel's arm had turned into an iron blade.

Shadow Steel danced with darkness in Rogue's grasp.

The water sphere shimmered, then exploded from the force of the three simultaneous slash attacks.

**/**

"Wha- Th-the Dragon Slayers are here!" Chapati shouted.

**/**

Lucy dropped like a rock, but Minerva used the water as a cloak and fired off another shot at her.

This time, the sphere was intercepted by a lightning bolt.

The Sabertooth mage touched the ground safely a few meters away from Laxus, who crossed his arms and fixed her with a lethal glare.

Sting caught Lucy as she fell and skidded to a stop, dropping to the ground and staring at her wildly, "Lucy! Hang in there!"

She was completely unconscious, unable to respond in any way.

Sting whipped his head up and gave Minerva a look of absolute hatred.

The woman's eyes grew wide and she smirked, "So, that's what it looks like…Interesting…"

_"You bitch!" _

Sting almost rushed her, but Natsu put his arm out, having sent Igneo back and halted his brother, "Get her to the clinic."

The White Dragon hissed in fury, "Are you kidding?! I'm gonna kill the fu-"

_"Get her to the clinic. We deal with this." _Natsu growled, giving his brother a fierce look over the shoulder. Sting hissed again, but picked up Lucy and flew out of the stadium.

Natsu took a step towards Minerva, who smirked, but then Orga, Rufus, and Rustyrose were all there.

Gajeel, Rogue, and Laxus backed up Natsu as they confronted the tyrant guild.

Minerva sneered, "What are you four doing? I've put on a match to the letter of the rules. You should be thanking me…I made that useless girl second place."

Natsu's body lit up like an inferno as he released a guttural growl, "You're gonna regret that, you demented bitch."

Minerva immediately created a sphere of energy in her hands, which signaled to the other mages to charge their magic.

Orga's body crackled with black lightning as he grinned at Laxus, who sparked with electricity and glared at him calmly.

Rufus put his fingers to the sides of his head with a confident smile, while Gajeel's sword arm grew chainsaw blades and started buzzing hungrily for blood.

Rogue began emitting shadows from his body, the red eyes burning into Rustyrose's glasses, who pointed a finger gun at him with a confident smirk.

**/**

The crowd muttered tensely as the mages confronted each other. "O-o-oh my! Th-this is..a serious situation between these two guilds!" Chapati stammered.

**/**

Makarov was shaking with anger, but he kept his mind cool and fixed his gaze on the mages facing off. _Brats…don't do anything I'll regret…_

**/**

Natsu and Minerva glared at each other for several moments, but in the end, Natsu let the flames around his body burn out.

She smirked in response and nodded to her team mates, who one by one stopped their magic output. The Dragon Slayers did the same, but kept their rage sharpened to a starving point.

Natsu eventually broke the silence with a snarl, "I don't give a shit if you're the strongest in Fiore, or whatever, but..I'll tell you this."

**_"You have made an enemy of the WORST possible guild to piss off."_**

The woman smiled in satisfaction and tossed him Lucy's gate keys, which Natsu caught.

He glared at Minerva a moment more, then turned and walked off with a grunt, "Let's get the hell outta here."

Laxus, Gajeel, and Rogue followed him out, all three glaring daggers back at the too-cocky Sabertooth mages behind them.

**/**

They walked into the infirmary to find Lucy in the bed, covered in bandages. Happy and Lector were there, helping Wendy with anything she needed to heal the injured girl.

Sting was standing at the bedside, dark blue eyes fixed on Lucy's face.

Natsu watched him cautiously, "How is she?"

"…Thanks to Wendy and Porlysuca…her life isn't in danger." he answered slowly, then glanced at his brother, "Why did you butt in? We're not even in the same team…"

Natsu shook his head, "We're in the same guild, who gives a damn which team. Lucy's as much my family as she is yours…"

Porlysuca nodded, "At the end of the day, we're all in Fairy Tail. The best we can do for now is be grateful none of her injuries are permanent."

"Well, that's the only positive thing I've heard all day." Gajeel rumbled.

Rogue hissed, "Those bastards back there…"

Laxus nodded, eyes still stormy with anger, "I hear ya…I ain't been this pissed off in a long time."

Lucy suddenly coughed and spluttered awake. All eyes darted back to her as she opened her eyes with a weak groan, "Guys..sorry…I blew it..again…"

Rogue tried to look positive, "Don't be so hard on yourself…You got us second place. That's eight points for A Team."

Gajeel nodded, "You did damn good, Lucy."

She glanced around, "My keys…"

"Here."

Natsu brought them over and handed them to her, which she held close to her heart lovingly, "Thank you…" Lucy closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep again.

Laxus snorted, "Out cold again, huh…"

Natsu shook his head and clenched his fists, "I ain't just taking this one, guys. I'm so fired up, my blood's burning…"

"Leave some of those assholes for me, Salamander. My iron's _begging _to gut a tiger or two." Gajeel snarled.

"Get in line." Rogue growled in response.

"Here you are…"

Makarov walked in and got the group's attention, eyeing them carefully, "The administration was kind enough to grant us time to make sure Lucy's condition is stable, but that time's almost up. The double battles are starting soon…And I'm told we must leave her to Wendy and Porlysuca. The stadium cannot wait."

"Well, I can." Sting muttered stubbornly.

Makarov shook his head, "You have to leave her, Sting. I don't care what happens after, but you _must _come now. Think how Lucy would feel if A Team lost points because you wouldn't participate."

The White Dragon considered his words in silence, then sighed, "I'm coming…Just give me a minute, okay?"

Makarov figured that was the best he would get, so with a nod, he led the other Dragon Slayers out.

Sting looked over Lucy's sleeping face and reached up to touch her cheek, moving a strand of blonde hair aside.

He started when she opened one eye and whispered, "Are they gone?"

The White Dragon smirked, "Cheeky girl. You were awake…"

"Yeah..picked up that trick yesterday, remember?" she asked.

He chuckled a little, but still watched her worriedly.

Lucy smiled, "I'm okay. It's not as bad as it looks…"

Sting shook his head, "Don't play tough with me, Lucy. I know better."

She frowned and sighed, "I'm just trying to cheer you up..You're cute when you're worried, but..I miss your smile…"

"Smiling isn't the first thing on my mind right now." he pointed out.

Lucy put her hand over the one at her cheek, "No, but it's always good for you…I think it makes people stronger."

Sting felt the corner of his mouth rise, then Lucy giggled as it lifted to a faint grin, "See? You look better already…"

"Can't help it. The way you philosophy at the weirdest times…It's just so..you." he said simply.

She smiled back at him, "You should go. I'll be okay, so go."

He stood up, then bent down and kissed her brow, pulling back slightly to look her in the eyes, "I'll be back before you know it."

Lucy nodded, then touched his cheek with a hand, "Just don't come back in a stretcher, okay?"

Sting laughed again and walked to the door, calling over his shoulder, "Of course, you'd say something like that Lucy. Watch the fight on the lacrima vision if you're not too tired."

He glanced over his shoulder with a fierce smile, "It's gonna be crazy…"

"Good luck." She replied, then the White Dragon left the room and closed the door behind him.

**/**

"Okay! It's been confirmed that Lucy is in a stable condition! That's very good news! With that behind us, it's time for the fourth day's battle portion- the double battles! The match-ups are now on screen!" Chapati's announcement brought sighs of relief and cheers of excitement.

**/**

**Blue Pegasus vs Quatro Puppy**

**Mermaid Heel vs Lamia Scale**

**Sabertooth vs Fairy Tail A**

**Raven Tail vs Fairy Tail B**

**/**

"All eyes are definitely on those explosive battles between Fairy Tail, Raven Tail, and Sabertooth, right?!"

Roars of excitement confirmed the high prestige of the awaited matches, but they quieted at Chapati's next announcement, "While Lucy is unable to be here, both Fairy Tail teams are now coming to the stadium to meet with the other teams!"

As the mages stepped onto the arena grounds, the cheering intensified to extreme levels.

"The arena is shaking! Unbelievable! Those boos from day one are just a joke now! Here they are! Fairy Tail has entered!"

**/**

Natsu and Sting led their teams out at the front, dark eyes of onyx and blue stormy with determination. Gajeel and Rogue followed, then Mira, Erza, and Gray. Laxus and Ur brought up the rear, the air becoming tense with power.

All the other teams eyed them warily, except for Sabertooth and Raven Tail, who met their rivals with sneers.

**/**

Up in the stands, Darton sweated nervously, "The Celestial mage is not present?"

"She's in the sick bay."

The old man jumped as Arcadios walked up behind him and crossed his arms, "Our last strategy was a failure, but we'll succeed next time. Let's enjoy the festival for now. Eclipse will begin in just three days…"

Darton shuddered, "Is there no way to stop it?!"

"Lord Zeref awaits us." Arcadios said.

**/**

Sting glared at Zancrow, who returned the grudging look.

Natsu met Kurohebi's gaze with dark eyes.

Gajeel bared his fangs at Rufus and Nullpuding.

Rogue hissed at Obra.

Mira stared at Flare with determination.

Gray faced Rustyrose, who smirked.

Ur's gaze found Alexei, frosty with calm.

Orga sneered at Laxus, who sparked in response.

Erza and Minerva judged each other with deceptive ease.

The White Dragon hissed in anticipation, "Get ready for a rumble…"

**/**

Darton walked away from the stadium to an ancient painting, biting his lip at Arcadios's words, "A festival? The Grand Magic Games..were not always named as such. Once, they were called something else…"

_"Ryuuousai. The banquet of dragons, humans, and demons."_


	37. Dancing Sky Goddess

**Okay, this one gets the other two battles of day four aside, but the next three or four chapters will ALL be intense fighting between Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, and Raven Tail! This chapter isn't that bad though, so enjoy! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 37: Dancing Sky Goddess_

"Before the battle portion begins, it's come to our attention that the rankings for the Naval Battle competition were never posted due to the tense ending of the match! Here is the point distribution!"

**/**

**1st. Minerva: +10 (ST 49pt.)**

**2nd. Lucy: +8 (FTA 39pt.)**

**3rd. Flare: +6 (RT 47pt.)**

**4th. Mirajane: +4 (FTB 42pt.)**

**5th. Chelia: +3 (LS 30pt.)**

**6th. Risley: +2 (MH 23pt.)**

**7th. Jenny: +1 (BP 17pt.)**

**8th. Rocker: +0 (QP 12pt.)**

**/**

"Sabertooth's back on top thanks to Minerva's victory! But Raven Tail is hard on their heels, with both Fairy Tail teams just ten points away! The battle portion will decide whether the fairies fly or fall in this tournament! Now, to the first battle of day one! From Blue Pegasus, it's Ichiya and the Rabbit! Facing off against Quatro Puppy's Yeager and Rocker!"

Chapati's announcement got the crowd revved up for the start of the battles.

Yajima snorted, "They put up the teams at the worst place in the tournament against each other?"

"It's necessary so that at least one of them can build up much-needed points and get back into the race!" Chapati explained.

**/**

Rocker and Yeager met with Ichiya and the Rabbit on the field, pumping each other up for the fight.

"Let's do this wildly!"

"If we don't win this, at this rate…"

**/**

From the sidelines Bacchus laughed, "What're they all serious about? As long as their souls shake, that'll be worth it."

**/**

Ichiya gestured to the Rabbit, "Come. It is finally time to release you!" The rabbit nodded and began to remove it's head.

**/**

Sting raised an eyebrow, "I've wondered who the hell that guy is."

"Bout' time he took that annoying thing off…how the hell does somebody BREATH in a suit like that?" Gray muttered.

**/**

"Even we weren't told who that rabbit is…" Ren grunted, "Who or what is-"

He turned at the sound of smooching and saw Hibiki and Jenny making out, which caused his jaw to hit the ground, "What the hell are you guys doing?!"

**/**

Ichiya nodded, "It's fine, show them all your handsome face."

The Rabbit's mask was removed to show a face identical to Ichiya's…with cat ears and whiskers.

**/**

The crowd's jaws dropped, "EEEEEHHHHHH?!"

**/**

Erza almost fainted from shock, "I-Ichiya..became two…people…"

Gray caught her before she could fall over, "Oi, oi, pull yourself together!"

Sting rolled his eyes away from the sight of the two identical men, "I changed my mind. I've never wondered who the hell that guy is."

**/**

Pantherlily bristled, "Nichiya?!"

"That guy from Extalia?!" Happy exclaimed.

Lector shook his head, "That's just…no. Just no…"

Charle sighed and put a paw on her forehead, "Those idiots…"

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch muttered.

**/**

Leaping out of the Rabbit costume and landing next to his counterpart, Nichiya and Ichiya faced Rocker and Yeager with their typical finger gun gesture.

"Double Ikemen attack."

"It's a dangerous perfume, for sure."

Most of the stadium was in danger of throwing up or going blind, but Rocker and Yeager sniggered.

The two counterparts closed their eyes and smiled.

"To meet myself..it must be destiny."

"Hm. On that clear afternoon."

Rocker grinned and shot forward, making his leg spin at high speed as he delivered a kick to Nichiya, "Drill n' Rock!"

The exceed was smashed into the ground, as Ichiya called to him, "What are you doing?"

Ren shouted at his leader, "Ichiya, can that guy actually fight?!"

Ichiya glanced at him like he was crazy, "Of course he can! He's got my face, so his battle power is equivalent!"

Hibiki, no longer making out with Jenny, face palmed, "He's kicking the bucket as we speak!"

Ichiya noticed that Nichiya really was out for the count, and shrieked, "NO WAY!"

Yeager made a spiky plant erupt from the ground and send Ichiya flying, then Rocker punched him into the ground with a spinning fist.

The Quatro Puppy mages were dominating the Blue Pegasus ace until he was losing mobility. Rocker grinned as they both rushed him, "This is the end!"

"Get some of this!" Yeager yelled.

Ichiya, now determined not to let Nichiya's fall mean the end of the match, suddenly bulked up considerably.

Rocker tilted his head, "The hell? He's going wild!"

Yeager shook his head, "It's the same as yesterday…Alexei beat him with one shot, so we can get him too!"

Ichiya turned and faced them, "Behold! This is my beautiful dreamer…Smiling!"

His face became absurdly hideous, with a disgustingly huge smile to boot.

Rocker and Yeager were frozen in horror before they could react to Ichiya's swift punch, "SMASH!" The Quatro Puppy mages crashed into the wall and were knocked out instantly.

**/**

Natsu and Gajeel clawed at their faces and howled, "MY EYES!"

Laxus looked away and put a hand over his mouth, "Even in this goddamned tournament, there are some things that we just don't need to see…"

"..I feel sick…" Mira managed to gasp out, risking to open her mouth for a second.

Ur laughed awkwardly, "Well…he won..sort of…"

**/**

Erza smirked, "Two on one, eh?"

Rogue snorted, "An image like that…shouldn't be allowed. Asuka will have nightmares…"

Gray had frozen his eyes shut and was unwilling to open them, muttering disgustedly, "That guy..is an idiot. Don't you think so, Sting?"

The White Dragon just nodded, then grunted quickly, "I might throw up on you. Just saying."

Gray blindly recoiled immediately, "Hell no!"

**/**

"W-well, Blue Pegasus is the winner, so ten points for them! That was a great match, right?" Chapati asked.

Yajima was looking to the side, avoiding the current image of Ichiya, "I-I suppose…"

"It was extremely disgusting! Thank you very much!" Rabian choked out.

Chapati was quick to move on to the next match, as groans of disgust and sickness were echoing throughout the stadium, "O-okay, the second match of day four is Lamia Scale's Lyon and Chelia! Fighting Mermaid Heel's Kagura and Milianna!"

Yajima nodded, "All four of them have proven to be skilled opponents during these last few days. It should be an interesting match."

"Thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed, all to happy to see something other than Ichiya.

**/**

Gray unfroze his eyes instantly, "This should be good…Let's see if Lyon can handle someone of Erza's caliber. I'll get to see where I stand."

Titania smiled, "Don't be so sure. Kagura pulled her punches last time, but I kept a few tricks up my sleeve as well."

"I'm more interested in seeing what that Chelia girl is capable of…we finally get to see a God Slayer in combat." Rogue murmured.

**/**

The four mages met on the battlefield, sizing each other up until Chelia tripped on the way to the center.

Lyon sighed, "Relax, Chelia. If you slip up during battle against Kagura, it'll be troublesome."

She laughed apologetically, "Sorry, Lyon! But I never fall in a fight! I get all fired up!"

**/**

Natsu's eye twitched, "Just how many people are gonna steal my line?"

"Don't hold your breath waiting!" Mira said cheerily.

**/**

"The second match of day four! Lyon and Chelia versus Kagura and Milianna! Match…Start!"

**/**

Lyon instantly put a fist on his open palm, "Let's go, Chelia!"

"Yes!" she replied.

Milianna struck first though, firing a spiral of energy, "Kitten Blast!"

Chelia quickly jumped up and dodged it, at the same time collecting black wind around her hand, "Sky God's Boreas!"

The whirlwind blew Milianna and Kagura backwards, though the latter blocked it for the most part with her sword.

Lyon swiftly followed up, sending a flock of frozen birds out at the Swordswoman, "Ice Make: Eagle!"

Kagura watched them approach calmly, then released a burst of Gravity Magic that crushed the birds into the ground easily.

Chelia used the chance to rush up to her, surprising Kagura with her speed, "How about this?! Sky God's Dance!" She spun with the black wind and sent Kagura flying up into the air, but the Mermaid Heel mage recovered quickly.

Chelia leaped up after her, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

"You're not going after Kagura! Cat Binding Tube!" Milianna shouted, catching Chelia's foot with the attack and slamming her back down to earth.

Lyon dropped to the ground and touched it, "Ice Make: Snow Dragon!"

A huge frozen dragon erupted from the earth and lunged at Kagura mouth agape, who readied her sheathed blade, "Blade of Resentment, Slashing Form!"

She cut straight through the dragon and dove towards Lyon with her Gravity Magic, changing to a stabbing position, "Strong Form!"

"Sky God's Bellow!" Chelia cried, blasting the Mermaid Heel mage way off course with a burst of black wind from her mouth.

Kagura touched down relatively unscathed and glanced at Chelia, who was surrounded by black wind, "You're not going after Lyon!"

**/**

Ur smirked, "Well, well, it seems my student has captured a young maiden's heart."

"How he caught anyone's heart is what surprises me." Natsu remarked.

Gajeel cackled, "Too bad for her he's dead-set on Juvia! Gee-hee!"

Mira laughed, "Yeah, well that's love!"

"Who cares what it is, that Chelia ain't doing half bad against that Kagura woman." Laxus stated, honestly impressed with the young girl.

**/**

Sherry smiled happily, "Would you expect anything less from my cousin?"

Master Oobaba spun her around, "You're nowhere near her class! Spin!"

**/**

Kagura was more irritated than impressed, though she didn't show it, just murmured, "Milianna. Hold her still."

Chelia rushed her opponent with black wind at her sides, "That won't work!"

Kagura watched her calmly, "Fine then. You come to me."

Lyon's eyes widened and he shouted, "Chelia, stop!"

Kagura shot forward with Archenemy and slashed diagonally, scoring a clean hit on the younger girl, "Slashing Form!"

Chelia cried out and hit the ground hard.

**/**

"Disaster! Chelia charged in and took a direct hit! With just Lyon, can Lamia Scale stay in this fight against someone of Kagura's caliber?!"

**/**

Kagura glanced at Lyon, "You..are next."

"…How clumsy of me."

Milianna gasped, "Kagura, look out!"

The Swordswoman spun around in surprise to see Chelia charging her again, the black wind healing her injury as it also charged for an attack, "Secret God Slayer Art!"

Chelia created wings of black feathers at her back, then fired off a tornado of the same feathers at her opponent, "Heavenly Gathering of the Clouds!"

Kagura quickly raised her blade, "Guard Form!" The tornado pushed her back several meters before the sheer force of the spell overwhelmed her and sent her sprawling onto the ground, this time wounded.

Lyon grinned, "Nice, Chelia! This'll finish it! Ice Make: Lizardman!"

The huge reptile rushed forward and slashed at Kagura, but Milianna jumped on it's back with her hand enveloped in energy, "Cat Claw!"

She cut the Lizardman's head off effortlessly and leaped off to send it crashing to the ground, landing in front of Kagura as a guard and glaring at their opponents, "I'm here too! Don't forget about me!"

Lyon tch'd and smirked, "Of course. How could I?"

"We're not done either!" Chelia exclaimed.

Kagura rose to her feet and watched Chelia with narrowed eyes, observing her movement and pattern of breathing, "I see. It seems..your magic allows you to heal you wounds…but not your physical strength."

Chelia laughed, a little tiredly, "Wow, you're good! Yeah, that much is true..restoring physical strength is something only Wendy can do. But just because I'm a little tired doesn't mean I'm going to give up!"

Kagura allowed a smirk on her face, "Interesting. Come."

The four mages charged each other again, battling fiercely for victory.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Eventually, the timer ran out and the fight came to an end. "That's it! The match is over! Both teams still have their two mages, so therefore the fight ends in a draw! Both teams earn five points!"

**/**

Chelia was gasping for breath, exhausted from the battle, but still glared at Kagura, "She's strong..as expected…"

Lyon shook his head nervously, "I don't think she was going all out…"

"Yeah." Chelia agreed, still panting, "Every year it's been like this…no one's ever seen her serious…"

**/**

Kagura walked off with Milianna at her side, who worried over her guild mate, "Kagura, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. That man back there..Lyon. He's got potential..as does the Sky God Slayer…Had this been a fight to the death…"

Kagura paused and glanced at her friend, "You would have died, Milianna."

The cat girl looked a little disappointed, but Kagura spoke encouragingly, "All you can do is get stronger."

Milianna perked up again, "R-right!"

**/**

"Well, it seems as though the enthusiasm in the crowd is back after that match! It's already heated up, but this next battle is going to get even hotter!"

Two flags appeared at the top of the stadium, bearing the Fairy Tail and Sabertooth emblems respectively.

"Just now, the emblems of both guilds have been exposed to the arena! The guild who was the strongest seven years ago, will clash with the guild who currently holds that title!"

The crowd's cheering rose excitedly as the four mages stepped into the arena.

Chapati shout fired them up even more, "Fairy Tail's Sting and Rogue! Sabertooth's Zancrow and Orga! Furthermore! All four of them use, "Slayer" magic! Their magic was used to kill dragons and gods respectively!"

Yells started building up to screams of anticipation.

**/**

Sting and Rogue met the two Sabertooth mages in the center of the arena.

Zancrow stared at the White Dragon with determination, "You're the stepping stone…to Natsu…"

Sting said nothing, just looked back calmly.

**/**

In a volcanic area someplace far away, a huge dragon burst from under the magma and rose onto dry land, flames rippling all over his body.

He sat down and gazed up at the dark night sky, growling softly to himself, "Vicelogia, the White Dragon…Skyadrum, the Shadow Dragon…the Dragon Slayers you created..let's see what they're made of. Can humans exceed dragons, or is it just an empty dream...?"

Igneel clawed at the lava and snarled in anticipation, "The time for us to take action is drawing near…The Dragon King Festival will soon be upon us…"

**/**

Sting glared at his opponents with fierce blue eyes as the screams in the stadium rose to a fever pitch.

_"It's finally time for their confrontation! Who will win, the Fairy, or the Tiger?! Dragons and Gods are about to wage war on the battlefield!"_


	38. Dragons and Gods

**It begins! So this fight with Sabertooth and the fight with Raven Tail are going to be three parts in all! This is just the first part, but it starts out intense and the pressure builds with every attack! I hope you like this! As always, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Please review! When I do these fights, I need to know what YOU think! That way I can make the upcoming battles even better for your entertainment! Thank you!**

_Chapter 38: Dragons and Gods_

Lucy watched the lacrima screen from where she lay in the clinic bed, saw her Dragon Slayer approach the God Slayers.

She smiled and whispered quietly, "Sting…"

**/**

In the stands, Yukino didn't cheer with her guild, but watched the dark figure walk to the center of the arena, her brown eyes filled with nervous concern as she murmured, "Rogue…"

**/**

Natsu grinned beside Gajeel, "Give it all you got…"

**/**

"Do your best for us…" Gray said with a nod from Erza.

**/**

Lector and Frosch smiled at their partners, "We're cheering you on!"

Happy grinned, "If it's them, they'll win for sure!"

**/**

"It's here! The dream battle of Dragon Slayers and God Slayers! The match will begin shortly!" Chapati announced, much to the crowd's growing screams of excitement.

**/**

Gemma eyed his God Slayers as they awaited the faeries, "Make your victory absolute. Show them the strength of the guide at the peak."

**/**

Makarov watched his Dragon Slayers calmly, "Just put all your heart into it. I have nothing else to say."

**/**

Zancrow glared at Sting. _I'll crush your brother, and then you. Natsu._

**/**

"Match…START!"

**/**

Zancrow and Orga lunged, "Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

Sting and Rogue were suddenly right in front of them.

The God Slayers froze in surprise, but their opponents wasted no time, striking them with a unified burst of condensed white light and shadows, _"Holy Shadow Dragon's Lightning Fang!"_

The blast sent Zancrow and Orga flying in the opposite direction, both stunned from the force of the sudden attack.

**/**

Makarov's eyes widened in shock.

Even Mavis was surprised. _A Unison Raid in that first instant?!_

**/**

Rogue bolted after Zancrow, melting into shadow and reappearing to strike at his throat viciously, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

The Flame God sprawled out on the ground with a pained yell.

Sting kicked at Orga with white light, "White Dragon's Wave Fang!"

The Lightning God blocked with his big arm, taking some damage from the exploding light and smirked, his body sparking with black lightning to repel Sting with a shockwave.

The White Dragon skidded to a stop and tch'd before taking a deep breath, "White Dragon's Roar!"

Orga dodged and laughed, "A laser?!"

Sting kept roaring, lashing his head to the side to spread the attack's range.

The whiplike beam of light separated Rogue from his assault on Zancrow, who punched at Sting with black fire, "Flame God's Hell Fist!"

Quickly standing up, Sting fired an orb of light at the oncoming mage, making him stop dead as a stigmata appeared.

Zancrow grunted, "What did you just do?!" "The White Dragon's Claw is a holy attack! A body with it's mark has it's freedom taken!"

Sting shouted, rushing up and punching the Flame God away.

Rogue appeared in Zancrow's shadow and dragged him into the darkness, making Orga start with alarm, "Zancrow!"

He glanced around, but they were nowhere in sight until Sting grinned, "Way too slow."

Orga's eyes widened as his head was grabbed by Rogue from behind, who erupted from the shadows with Zancrow in tow and arms wrapped in darkness.

The Lightning God spluttered, "What the hell?!"

Rogue sent them both flying with a quick swipe of his arms, "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!"

The God Slayers hit the ground hard, staggering to regain their balance.

**/**

The crowd was stunned by how swiftly the Dragon Slayers had taken control of the battle and begun dominating the God Slayers.

Chapati's cry reflected this, "Wh-what's going on?! Zancrow and Orga are being overwhelmed!"

**/**

"Awesome…!" Levy gasped.

Elfman gulped, "Man…just how powerful did those two get?!"

Lector sniggered, "Just wait. The real fight hasn't even begun."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch cheered.

Romeo stared at Zancrow as he recovered from the attack, eyes searching and mouth set in a line.

**/**

The two Dragon Slayers awaited the God Slayers now, who rose up and faced them.

Orga grinned, "You're both passionate, as expected…"

Sting raised an eyebrow, "Did you guys really beat gods with that kind of power?"

Zancrow clenched his fists, "Beat? You mean killed. With these very hands…"

"What were they to you?" he asked.

Orga's body crackled with black lightning, "That isn't any of your concern…And what do you mean by, "That kind of power?" We haven't even gone all out yet…Now it's our turn to be on the offensive."

He smirked and cracked his neck, "Let's do this."

Zancrow's form became surrounded by licking black flames as he grinned in anticipation, "Right…"

**/**

Gemma grunted, "It's all over, you garbage excuse for a guild."

**/**

Zancrow went after Rogue this time, launching a fierce punch at the Shadow Dragon.

Rogue blocked the first strike, but Zancrow followed up with an even faster uppercut and connected.

Sting yelled, "Rogue!"

He suddenly took an electrified elbow to the face as Orga cackled, "Pay attention, dragon pipsqueak!"

"You bastard…" Sting struck at him as Orga punched, but he was overpowered by the much larger man and took a clean hit in the chest.

**/**

Lily gritted his teeth, "They're getting serious…"

Lector shouted, "Sting, come on! You can do better!"

"Fro thinks so too, Rogue!" Frosch cried.

**/**

The Flame God blazed as he engaged the Shadow Dragon in close combat, dealing swift attacks while his opponent blocked his offensive.

Zancrow suddenly kicked up and caught Rogue in the jaw before throwing a massive fireball at him, "Flame God's Kagetsuchi!"

Rogue bellowed as he was enveloped by the black fire, which exploded and covered the area in smoke.

Zancrow smirked, "I think the God's divinity has surpassed the wrath of the dragons…"

"Surpassed…What…?"

His smirk fell as a voice emanated from the roiling smoke.

**/**

Orga brought a fist sparking with black lightning down on a kneeling Sting as he laughed, "End of the line, dragon pipsqueak!"

Sting smiled as the fist came down, then rolled to the side in a flash to avoid the blow and retaliated with a rapid jab straight into Orga's face, "White Dragon's Holy Fist!"

The Lightning God recoiled, smarting from the sudden pain that made his eyes water, "You little shit!"

His vision cleared enough to see Sting grinning at him, "Pretty good, aren't you? Not good enough, though!"

**/**

Zancrow felt a chill go down his spine, then a voice hissed in his ear, "Don't get overconfident, you bastards…"

The Flame God spun around in time to get kicked in the face by Rogue, grunting from the force of the blow.

He followed up by striking at Zancrow with a hand buried in shadows, growling angrily, "Don't underestimate Fairy Tail!"

Zancrow took the blow to his throat and coughed hard, staggering back as Rogue created a sphere of deep dark in his hands, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art…"

**/**

Sting kicked Orga square in the jaw, lifting the big man up off the ground for a few moments before he crashed back down.

The Lightning God grinned and stood up, "You punks ain't half bad…I'm gonna have to up my game just a little."

His fist started charging intense black lightning, which he brought back in preparation.

Sting mirrored him and trailed light from the fingers of his opposite hand, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art…"

Orga lunged and punched straight forward, "Lightning God's Bullet Fist!"

His strike hit the White Dragon clean in the chest, but Sting spat and didn't move an inch to the Lightning God's shock, instead smashing a fist cloaked under intense white light into his face, "Bursting White: Holy Nova!"

The two pushed against each other until their magic exploded violently and sent them skidding back, Orga more so than Sting.

He stared at the White Dragon with surprise, who glared back unflinchingly. _That shrimp overpowered me?! Me?!_

**/**

"Darkness Wave: Twin Dragon Saber!" Rogue roared, tearing the black sphere in his hands into two, then spun in a circle and lashed out with blades of darkness, which caught Zancrow in both shoulders and crushed him into the ground.

The Flame God staggered to his feet, spitting blood on the ground while Rogue waited calmly.

**/**

Lector and Happy cheered.

"Sting's back on top! That's how we do it!"

"Aye, sir!"

Frosch jumped up in excitement, "Win Rogue, win!"

Yukino had her hands clasped tightly and swallowed hard, "It feels like my heart's in my mouth…"

"I know that feeling." Lisanna remarked, smiling at her.

**/**

"Those two…They really are strong, huh?" Gray smirked.

Erza nodded with a smile, "Well, the audience certainly thinks so."

**/**

The crowd's screams of excitement were deafening.

"This is amazing! Sting and Rogue aren't just matching Sabertooth's God Slayers, they're overwhelming them! Even Orga is struggling against Sting's fierce attacks!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

Orga raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Am I being underestimated?"

He brought his hands up and held them out at arms length towards Sting, then started charging intense black lightning between the two limbs. The Lightning God chuckled, "Dragon pipsqueak…You think you got what it takes to block this?!"

Sting fixed him with a glare, "Let's find out."

Orga's grin became dark.

**/**

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "A trap?"

"What a dumbass. He's seriously misjudged Sting's power." Gajeel sneered.

**/**

The black lightning crackled wildly, then fired off as Orga shouted, "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

The shot flew towards Sting with blinding speed, but the White Dragon's body flashed with light, then he batted the attack aside with even greater speed so it's trajectory went off to hit the stadium wall and explode.

Orga's jaw dropped, "That's…You've gotta be kidding!"

Sting's body emanated light all over as he growled, "White Drive..."

The Lightning God hesitated for a moment as Rogue's form became cloaked in shadows, making his eyes glow with unnatural red brightness, "You hope to defeat Natsu and Laxus at your level? Such an idea…is completely ludicrous. We're going to show you…why that is…"

He stared Zancrow dead in the eye and hissed softly, "Shadow Drive."

Zancrow's eyes narrowed in anger, "You think…I don't have what it takes to defeat Natsu? Let me tell you something…The Gods came before everything. It was the Gods, not dragons, who gave man fire! Their power and the power of those with the ability to slay them..are at the top of the world!"

His words were contradicted almost immediately.

Rogue shot forward as a dark blur and kicked Zancrow in the face, making him reel back from the force of the blow. _The hell?! His power just- it got higher?! _

Orga noted the Shadow Dragon's strength quickly, "So those, "Drives" amplify your magic pow- ARGH!"

Sting punched him hard in the stomach, making him double over before the White Dragon landed a devastating uppercut.

Orga skidded back as Sting curled his middle and index fingers with his thumb and fired off a sphere of white light, "White Dragon's Holy Blast!"

The Lightning God bellowed as the light caught him in the chest, lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the stadium wall.

Zancrow took another strike in the ribs and went on the offensive, spreading his arms to either side, "Flame God's Burning Haze!" A fog of black fire spread around him quickly, engulfing the center of the arena.

Rogue leaped up above the flames, but Zancrow was waiting for him and formed the black fire in his hands, "Flame God's Scythe!"

The Shadow Dragon quickly unsheathed his katana and slashed in return, "Shadow Dragon's Tail Slice!"

Both attacks collided, but Rogue's blade cut through the flames and smote the Flame God in the shoulder. Zancrow's flames burned out as he staggered, but then Rogue came down and blasted him away with a shockwave of darkness, "Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!"

Zancrow crashed into the ground several yards away, shaking and struggling to stand back up.

**/**

Makarov watched the Dragon Slayers overwhelm the God Slayers with unspoken awe. _Three months of training…has made them this powerful…?_

**/**

The crowd was stunned by the difference between the two teams.

Chapati stuttered, "Th-this is..! Unbelievable! All of a sudden, this fight..! It's become so one-sided! Yajima, what's going on?!"

The old man thought as the Dragon Slayers beat down their opponents with careful, wizened eyes, "Hmm…"

_"These levels…are far too different…"_

**/**

Mato was shocked into speechlessness, "This…Kabo…"

**/**

"Sabertooth's God Slayers are helpless against these relentless attacks from Fairy Tail! Is the match already over?!"

**/**

Orga burst out of the rubble with a furious, rumbling voice, "Over…?!"

Zancrow stood and glared at the Dragon Slayers, "This wall was never going to be easy for me to pass, but…I am not..going to lose…"

**/**

Romeo's eyes widened and he gulped. _Zancrow…_

**/**

The Flame God stood up and muttered under his breath, "It was long ago, but…I'm going..to keep that promise…I won't lose."

Zancrow's flames became crimson for a moment, weaving around him to form an armor over his body before they went black again and rippled over him.

He glared at Sting, "I can't lose. I've got to surpass Natsu…"

Orga's lightning flashed gold and wrapped around him the same way before becoming a black thunderbolt in his hands, which whipped and crackled as he held it.

Sting and Rogue stared in shock, unsure what to make of the unknown spell.

**/**

Up in the stands, Jellal froze, "This...! What magic is that?!"

**/**

Chelia gasped, "Th-that form is...!"

**/**

Minerva smirked, "Quake before God's wrath."

**/**

"The blood..of the Gods…" Mavis whispered, her eyes wide.

Makarov glanced at her, "What?"

The First Master swallowed nervously, "A form granted only to those..who have survived the touch of a God's immortal ichor…Few can stand it's effects without being instantly killed. Those who do..are able to use _that." _

Yukino was looking very worried now, "What does that mean?"

Mavis kept her gaze fixed on the God Slayers, "That form..is called _Divine Blood Armor_. As the name implies, it's the armor of the individual Gods they have slain. Worn as a trophy while retaining that God's power…"

Lisanna gulped, "The power of a God? H-how strong is that exactly?"

"…If I compared it to the boost from Dragon Force..It would exceed that by far." Mavis said at last.

"So bad." Elfman managed.

Levy shook her head, "Still, Sting and Rogue haven't even _used _Dragon Force yet…and they still overwhelmed them! It can't be such a big difference if they start using Dragon Force, right?"

Mavis didn't answer her.

**/**

Zancrow's crimson armor, which was worn over his usual attire, was comprised of a chest piece that stopped halfway just above his stomach and his shoulders. His biceps were exposed, but his forearms were covered in gauntlets with sharp claws at the fingertips.

From the knees down, his legs bore plated greaves. Spikes protruded from his shoulders, wicked and curved. His head was left bare, but his hair bristled and appeared to be even more wild looking than normal.

Orga's armor, also worn over his clothing, was gold and covered his entire upper body down to the waist. It too stopped at his biceps, with huge plates to cover his broad shoulders.

His legs, like Zancrows, wore greaves from the knees down and gauntlets, but those had no claws at the fingertips, not that they looked any less lethal.

Thick gold bands appeared around his biceps, his head also left bare while the long mane of green hair spiked even more. He clenched the lightning bolt in his hand and the weapon shrunk down and condensed to a huge, crackling black spear with a large, broad head.

**/**

"It's like Dragon Force..?" Ur murmured in wonder.

Natsu frowned and Gajeel tch'd at him, "This ain't the first time you've seen that, is it?"

The Salamander shook his head, "Yeah, I've seen that before..when I fought Zancrow the first time, but…something's different."

Laxus gave him a sideways glance, "Like what? He got bigger?"

"If it were that simple…no. I've been thinking about it for a while now…" Natsu's eyes narrowed, "Even as a kid, that guy…he was a lot more intimidating…back then..."

**/**

Orga took a step forward, but Zancrow held an arm out to stop him, "Wait there Orga."

He walked towards them instead, grinning slightly, "Just me…I'll be more than enough…"

Sting and Rogue both stared at him through narrowed eyes and guarded expressions.

**/**

The crowd muttered nervously at his announcement.

"Sabertooth was eating the dirt a second ago, but now…two on one?!" Chapati asked in disbelief.

Yajima crossed his arms, "Very self-confident, isn't he?"

"Amazing! Thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed.

**/**

Rogue growled, "He's looking down on us…"

"I don't know…" Sting replied slowly, "He's strong."

Zancrow suddenly rushed forward with incredible speed, leaving a stream of black fire in his wake.

Sting's eyes widened and he blocked the punch Zancrow threw, but the Flame God's power overwhelmed him swiftly and landed a clean hit to his jaw. The White Dragon recoiled in shock from the force of the blow.

Rogue pulled out Shadow Steel as Sting hit the ground and slashed in a horizontal line towards Zancrow, but the black flames leaped to his hands and formed a scythe that easily blocked the attack. With a yell, Zancrow hurled a massive fireball at Rogue and blew him away.

Sting and Rogue both recovered and shot after him with a flurry of punches, but the Flame God blocked all of their combination attacks with ease and even got in a few shots himself. Far from being slowed down, it seemed like Zancrow was even faster with the armor on.

**/**

Levy watched with wide eyes, "I-it's so different…"

"Completely different from before…" Happy gasped, his tail bristling.

Yukino clasped her hands tightly. _Rogue…Sting…_

**/**

After sending Rogue flying again, Zancrow caught Sting's ankle, digging into the skin with the armored claws and threw him into Rogue before jumping up above them and taking a deep breath, "Flame God's Bellow!"

The Dragon Slayers roared in pain as the overwhelming black fire decimated the stadium floor and blasted them through the ground.

**/**

In the infirmary, the room shook with intense force.

Charle's fur fluffed up, "Wh-what?!"

Wendy gulped, "I-I can feel the magic power even from here…That Zancrow man really is powerful…"

Lucy watched the lacrima vision with unblinking eyes, "Will they be okay?"

**/**

Makarov paled. _The arena floor…_

"That was a fierce breath!" Mavis gasped.

**/**

Erza stared in awe of the power that Zancrow was displaying. _Destroyed?! With a single attack?!_

"Is this the real power of the God Slayers?!" Gray shouted.

**/**

Zancrow dove after Sting and Rogue with a yell, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

**/**

"The match will continue! Everyone please enjoy via lacrima vision!"

The screens flickered and brought up a picture as the Flame God dueled the Dragon Slayers.

**/**

Sting landed on a falling boulder and leaped up to kick Zancrow in his chest plate, "White Dragon's Wave Fang!"

The light stuck to the armor and exploded, making the Flame God lose his aerial balance as Rogue zipped through the shadows and jumped up behind him to suck in a breath, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Zancrow was blown straight down by the black breath, but he recovered swiftly and put his hands together with a grin that was quickly becoming maniacal, "This is the wrath of the Gods…"

Sting and Rogue's eyes widened as the black fire around him transformed into a mass of arrows, which Zancrow then directed towards them with a triumphant bellow, "Flame God's Ballista!"

The Dragon Slayers roared with pain as the flaming arrows connected with their bodies all over, causing serious burn damage. They finally hit the ground and rolled to break their fall, but Zancrow didn't give them time to rest and lunged after them.

Zancrow's fist burned with black fire as he punched at Sting, who met him with his own fist. '

"Flame God's Hell Fist!"

"White Dragon's Holy Fist!"

The strikes collided, but even in his White Drive, Sting was immediately overwhelmed and blown away.

Rogue shot out of the Flame God's shadow and punched him in the back of the head, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

Zancrow bellowed in pain and anger, whipping around as the Shadow Dragon melted back into the darkness, but this time the Flame God enveloped himself and the surrounding area with a huge fireball, "Flame God's Kagetsuchi!"

Rogue screeched as the blast destroyed the ground and forced him out of the shadows.

**/**

Yukino gasped, "Rogue!"

Frosch was stunned, eyes tearing up, "Rogue got..knocked out of the shadows..?"

"What _is _this guy?!" Bixlow shrieked.

Elfman gulped, "He's a damn monster…Owning Sting and Rogue like that is just…"

Romeo stared in awe. _You..! Zancrow you..you got stronger…!_

**/**

With both Dragon Slayers now in the open, Zancrow created flames on both his arms and clapped them together, imprisoning Sting and Rogue in a blazing sphere of fire, "Flame God's Last Supper!"

They roared with pain and struggled to get loose, but the black fire completely immobilized them.

Zancrow grinned as they fought and failed, "Submit. Or you'll spend your last moments consumed in these flames…until just piles of ashes remain."

The Dragon Slayers continued to try escaping, but to no avail, gradually stopping their struggles for freedom.

**/**

Lucy put her hand over her mouth and felt tears welling up, "Sting…"

**/**

Wakaba bit his cigar hard, "Dammit, even they can't beat em' huh?"

"This is so frustrating…" Macao grunted.

Lector stared in disbelief, "St..ing..?"

"Wahh…" Frosch cried beside Yukino, who was no better off with tears silently flowing down her cheeks, "No...Rogue…"

**/**

Zancrow finally released the two Dragon Slayers, watching them hit the ground with distinctive thudding sounds.

He watched them for a bit, then granted an honest smile, "Still…you two..both of you were really strong. Sting…Rogue…"

"The times have changed." Orga walked up behind him, still in his Divine Blood Armor, "In seven years, the God Slayers took over. The time of the Dragon Slayers had ended."

"Is that..right…?"

The two God Slayers started in surprise as Sting struggled to his knees, panting for breath, "Damn, Natsu wasn't kidding..you God Slayers…you're no joke."

Orga grinned, "Still kicking, eh? While I'm flattered you used what strength you had telling us how obviously powerful we are…I'm afraid that's also the end of your line…"

Zancrow stared at him as the Lightning God stepped towards the weakened Dragon Slayers, hefting the bolt spear in his hand, "The Dragon Slayer's time has ended, like I said…there's no better example of that..than the whole world watching the White Dragon be finished by a God Slayer."

Zancrow's eyes widened as he realized Orga's intent, but spoke calmly, "Stop. It's already over…"

"Over?"

Now Rogue got on his hands and knees, glaring up at the Flame God, "Not by a long shot…"

Orga walked over to Sting and brought the spear back, making the lighting point sharper as he laughed, "Sayonara, dragon pipsqueak. Nice knowing ya!"

He slashed down fast at Sting, eyes wild with a dark glee.

**/**

The crowd screamed as a blood spurt appeared on the screen.

**/**

"STING!" Lucy shrieked.

Porlysuca whipped towards her, "Settle down girl, or you'll hurt yourself!"

**/**

Makarov's eyes were glued to the screen. His guild was likewise stunned, unable to comprehend the fact that their friend had possibly just been killed right before their eyes.


	39. Storm of the Dragons

**Part two of the big fight! This chapter concludes Fairy Tail vs Sabertooth and begins the Fairy Tail vs Raven Tail match! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 39: Storm of the Dragons_

Orga's smirk turned into an expression of jaw dropping disbelief, "You..!"

The slash from the black lightning spear had opened up the upper half of the scar on Sting's chest, but it had just stopped. White dragon scales blocked it's path.

Sting breathed out the pain with a furious hiss, "We don't die that easily, you son of a bitch…"

**/**

Lucy let out a breathless sigh of relief. _Too close…_

Wendy too, seemed to visibly settle down, "Thank goodness..They're both okay…"

**/**

The White Dragon stood with the point of the lightning spear still gripped hard in his hand until he pushed it away, then groaned as he touched the wound on his chest, "Agh, shit that hurts…"

Rogue also stood, rolling his shoulder to crack it, "Well, they're better than I thought..."

Zancrow stared at them, "You two..are seriously going to continue in that condition?"

"Yeah…until we quit breathin'…so don't let up, you bastards!" Sting challenged.

Orga grinned nervously, "Persistent little shits, aren't ya? Don't expect any mercy…"

Rogue let out a short, hard laugh, "Get ready..we're about to teach you the hard way…just how terrifying we really are..!"

The Lightning God blinked at the Shadow Dragon's statement, "How..terrifying? Punk, look yourself over nice and close for a moment. You're fighting a hopeless battle and you're half-burned to death, yet you think _you're _the scary ones?! You sure a screw didn't get knocked loose in your head or something?"

Rogue smirked, "Not at all. But if you're so disbelieving…come and find out for yourself."

Zancrow tch'd, "Are you just trying to piss us off?! We can kill you at our leisure!"

"Is that so?" The way Sting murmured the words was mocking. He stepped forward and signaled to Rogue with a wave of his hand, "Rogue, hang back for a sec. I totally have to pay them back for looking down on us."

Orga's eyes widened, "What…?"

Sting grinned and held up a hand in challenge, "I'll take the both of you."

The Lightning God's jaw hit the floor.

The Flame God bristled, "Quit screwing with us!"

**/**

Lucy clasped her hands as she watched Sting's challenge with a worried look. _Sting…_

**/**

Zancrow snapped and lunged with a fist of black fire, "There is _nothing _that exceeds the power of a god!"

Sting brought his arm up and blocked with a grunt of pain, but he still grinned, "So, that wasn't your full power?"

"Are you kidding?! I killed the Flame God Vulcan with this power!" Zancrow bellowed.

Sting's grin became more calm, "I see…then I'll use this power…"

His body flashed with white dragon scales as he glared at the Flame God calmly,_ "…To fight for my friends that you laughed at..."_

Then he punched Zancrow in the face with enough force to slam him into the rock wall ten yards away.

Orga rushed him, "Little bastard!"

He brought the spear up for a stab, but Sting whirled around while taking a swift breath, "White Dragon's Roar!"

The Lightning God bellowed in pain as the laser breath crashed into him and sent him flying in the opposite direction.

**/**

"Yes! That's the way!" Lector cheered. Frosch sniffed and smiled, "F-Fro thinks so too!"

Makarov was tense, "They're all serious now…"

"Who's gonna come out on top?!" Levy gasped.

**/**

Zancrow jumped up out of the rubble with a shout, "It's far from over! Flame God's Bellow!"

Sting looked up at the incoming black fire and breathed deep, then roared, "White Dragon's Holy Breath!"

The ground under his feet was crushed by the sheer force of the power going up, which blew away Zancrow's breath attack and created a huge explosion that caused significant damage to the Flame God.

Orga shot forward and punched at Sting, but the White Dragon grabbed his fist, then generated several rays of light from his arms.

The Lightning God's eyes widened in shock, "What?!"

"White Dragon's Wingbeat!" Sting roared, then lashed out and sent Orga flying with a blast of white energy that took the shape of dragon wings.

**/**

Natsu grinned, "That guy…he was feeling Zancrow and Orga out?"

"Sneaky little bastard! Gee-hee!" Gajeel cackled.

Laxus shook his head, "Maybe he was earlier, but the real fight starts now…"

**/**

Sting pressed the assault, driving the God Slayers away to separate them so he could take them on one at a time.

As Zancrow recovered from Sting's breath attack, the White Dragon hit Orga with a sphere of light that created a stigmata and immobilized him.

The Lightning God could only bellow, "Damn you!"

"Secret Dragon Slayer Art!"

Sting got in close, then spun in rapid circles to fire off countless blades of light, "Bursting White: Light Hurricaneblade!"

The golden chest plate cracked from the huge force and sent Orga flying into the rock wall.

Zancrow came back, but Sting clotheslined him as he tried to punch the White Dragon in the face.

The Flame God staggered as the blow knocked the wind out of him and dropped to his knees, but now Sting brought his arm back and encased it in a mass of light, "And…"

Zancrow glanced over his shoulder in time to see the fist come crashing down on his back as the White Dragon roared, "Bursting White: Holy Nova!"

The Flame God howled as the blow shattered his armor and made him skid away over the rock for several meters.

**/**

"He's doing it!" Lector squealed.

Happy jumped in excitement, "Aye sir!"

**/**

Rustyrose stared in disbelief, "Is that reality?"

"I have no memory of the Divine Blood Armor being damaged like this…" Rufus murmured with a frown.

Minerva's eyes narrowed.

**/**

Zancrow staggered to his feet, staring in utter shock at the unflinching White Dragon Slayer. _This is Dragon Force? So vast…We can't win this separately! _

He whipped around and shouted, "Orga!"

The Lightning God got back up and charged in with him, "I know!"

The two started charging massive amounts of black fire and lightning between their arms, but were met with glares of determination.

Rogue walked up to Sting's side, activating his Dragon Force with a murmur, "Two at once, huh...Let's go."

"Right…" Sting growled.

The Dragon Slayers stood side by side and began to inhale huge breaths of white light and black shadow.

**/**

Makarov stared at the screen in surprise. _They can do a Unison Raid like that as well?!_

Mavis watched the battle with a smile, "There are some walls you cannot surpass with power alone…But if ever there was a power that could break through those walls…It's the power of feelings…"

**/**

_"War God's Burning Black Luster Cannon!" _Zancrow and Orga bellowed, firing off a combined mass of black plasma as the flame and lightning combined.

Sting and Rogue finished charging, then released a fused discharge of light and shadow roars, _"Holy Shadow Dragon's Chaotic Breath!" _

The united breath attack devastated the cannon shot, blowing it to smithereens before crashing into the shocked God Slayers.

So enormous was the resulting explosion, it burst up through the stadium floor and up into the sky, ripping the clouds apart hundreds of feet up.

**/**

The crowd screamed from the shockwave, holding onto anything in sight to keep their balance in case the colosseum chanced a collapse.

**/**

Those from Sabertooth stood frozen, eyes dark.

**/**

Fairy Tail watched tensely, awaiting the result as the smoke from the explosion started to clear.

**/**

Debris was falling everywhere, rocks crumbling to pieces amongst destroyed area.

Orga felt his legs give way beneath him. _Dragon Slayers..huh…Unreal…_

Zancrow dropped to his knees and fell face first towards the ground. _Still..I'm still not…strong enough…_

**/**

The stadium held it's breath as the God Slayers hit the ground and stopped moving.

Sting and Rogue each raised a fist towards the sky.

**/**

"Th-th-th-this is..!" Chapati stammered.

**"It's Fairy Tail!" **

**/**

Screams of admiration roared out, deafening the colosseum.

"The end of the third battle! Fairy Tail comes out on top to defeat the God Slayers! Unbelievable!"

**/**

Fairy Tail cheered, beyond excited with the result of the fight.

Happy and Lector high fixed and danced.

Frosch tackled Yukino while they cried and laughed.

Natsu and Gajeel grinned and bumped fists.

Erza simply smiled.

**/**

In the clinic, Wendy and Lucy hugged each other as they laughed.

**/**

Romeo didn't know if he wanted to cry or smile, so he settled for a little bit of both.

**/**

Rustyrose shook his head, "Who would've imagined those two would lose…"

"It was quite an interesting fight." Rufus murmured, smiling keenly, "I memorized it all."

Rustyrose laughed, "Haha! This'll draw in crowds for a while, eh?!"

Minerva smirked, "Assuming they have the time to do so…"

**/**

Gemma was livid.

The people around him recognized it would be wise to avoid the enraged man, who's calm attitude only made him more frightening.

**/**

As Sting and Rogue walked away, the White Dragon glanced at Zancrow and smiled, "Some other time, then. Let's have a fight with you, me, and Natsu one day."

The Flame God gave no interpretation he'd been heard, but just stared at the ground half-consciously. _What a difference…If Natsu really is..as powerful as Sting…How much have I been overestimating myself?_

**/**

"Alright! That last fight was incredible, but we're not done yet! It's the final match of day four! The last of the double battles! The second clash of the father and son guilds! Fairy Tail B Team versus Raven Tail!"

The crowd's excitement was already sky high, but it somehow grew as the four mages approached each other on the battlefield.

"From Fairy Tail, it's Laxus and Gajeel! From Raven Tail, it's Alexei and Nullpudding!"

**/**

Mira cheered, "Go, Laxus!"

Natsu grinned, "We got this. As long as Laxus is in this fight, the match is as good as ours!"

"While I'm glad that you have such confidence in him, don't forget about Gajeel. And don't underestimate Raven Tail." Ur narrowed her eyes, "That Alexei person..is very strong…"

**/**

"Will they be okay?" Levy asked worriedly.

Cana grinned, "I don't know how those two could _not _be okay. Relax, they'll handle those raven bastards!"

"For pride, Laxus!" Freed shouted.

Bixlow cackled, "He's gonna make that Alexei guy his bitch!"

Evergreen sniggered, "No shit! This is Laxus we're talking about!"

Lily called to his partner, "Gajeel! Show them your real power!"

**/**

At the center of the arena, Gajeel rubbed his ears, "Damn, they're all so noisy…"

Laxus grunted agreement, but stared at Alexei.

Nullpudding sniggered at the armored mage's side, "Hello there, Gajeel."

"Hey there, you shitty midget. I'm gonna enjoy kicking your ass." Black Steel growled.

**/**

"Match…START!"

**/**

Laxus stepped forward, glaring at Alexei, "Exactly who are y-gah!"

The armored mage suddenly rushed forward and elbowed him in the face hard, sending the lightning mage skidding back.

Gajeel stared in shock, "What the- shit!"

He was cut off as Nullpudding jumped at him, swinging a huge spiked fist after his head and was forced to duck.

Nullpudding followed up fast though, and slammed his other fist down hard on Gajeel's back.

Black Steel roared in pain.

Laxus meanwhile, was engaging Alexei with vicious punches and kicks, but to the stadium's shock, he was being driven back.

The armored mage kicked Laxus in the jaw, then fired a beam of dark energy that smashed him into the arena walls.

Gajeel staggered to his feet spitting blood, then rushed Nullpudding, who jumped straight up with a spin and caught the Iron Dragon in the side of his head with a backhand and sent him sprawling.

**/**

"Wha-?! This is a surprise! Laxus and Gajeel are already being put under pressure by Raven Tail!" Chapati exclaimed. "The total opposite of the battle with Sabertooth!"

Needless to say, the crowd's cheering was slightly subdued from amazement.

**/**

Levy gasped, "Gajeel!"

Cana wasn't so confident anymore, "Are..are they getting their asses kicked?"

Makarov's mouth was hanging open, "What is this?!"

**/**

"You're kidding me." Natsu hissed, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling.

Ur was stunned, "Not just Gajeel, but…_Laxus _is getting beat so easily?"

Mira shook her head, blue eyes worried, but unfaltering, "The fight's only just begun..don't consider him beaten just yet…"

Natsu glanced at her, "You mean them, right?"

"Natsu." Ur interrupted, nodding slightly to Mira.

The Salamander's eyes widened slightly, but Mira didn't notice, too focused on the lightning mage staggering out of the rubble.

_Laxus…_

**/**

Laxus walked out of the rubble and dusted himself off before crossing his arms and glaring at Alexei, "Oi, it's rude to interrupt people who are talking."

The armored man grunted, "I have no interest in chatter. Come."

Laxus's body sparked with lightning, "Suit yourself…Here I come!"

He went into his lightning form and flew at Alexei, who waited in place, then spun around and punched behind him. Laxus choked as the blow caught him in the throat and stopped his own strike.

Alexei grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground, then kicked him harshly in the ribs and sent the lightning mage skidding away.

Laxus came to a stop and stared at the armored man. _No stranger could predict my attack pattern like that…This guy..he must be…_

**/**

"Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!"

"Needle Blast!"

Gajeel fired a steady stream of iron bolts at Nullpudding, who retaliated with a rain of sharp spikes.

When Gajeel decided he wasn't getting anywhere, he turned his arm into an iron rod and extended it, "Iron Dragon's Club!"

Nullpudding jumped and dodged, then rushed Gajeel and swung at him again, connecting with Black Steel's jaw.

Gajeel spat and punched at him, but Nullpudding danced away again.

_Tch! This guy is such a pain in the ass! What's with his freakin' hit and run style, ah?! _

"Spike Cannon!" Nullpudding pointed his arms at Gajeel and started shooting long, thick spikes at the Iron Dragon.

Gajeel roared, "As if, you chinny bastard! Iron Dragon's Sword!"

His arm turned into a huge iron blade, which he swung rapidly and cut down the hail of spikes coming at him. As he blocked, Nullpudding took the chance to rush him and land another punch with his spiked fists, making Gajeel cough up a little more red.

**/**

Lily shouted, "What are you doing, Gajeel?! Get it together!"

"You can't lose to Raven Tail! Come on, you guys!" Happy yelled.

Charle shifted nervously, "What's with them? Both of those guys have such different fighting styles..but it's like they're _made_ to fight Laxus and Gajeel!"

Alexei faced Laxus and Gajeel as the latter was forced back by another one of Nullpudding's attacks, "Do you understand now? Our magic is especially effective against Fairy Tail mages. We know every weakness you've got…"

Laxus raised an eyebrow, "That's quite a bold claim. Interesting."

"Oi, sparky, let's switch for a bit. That chinny bastard ain't good for me." Gajeel grunted.

Glancing at him, Laxus muttered, "I don't have a problem with that..but if you call me sparky again, I'll beat the shit out of you."

Black Steel sniggered, "Fair enough. Let's go!"

Gajeel rushed Alexei, punching at the armored mage with steel knuckles, "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"

Alexei blocked easily, then used a vertical chop with his armored hand to slice Gajeel's shoulder open. Black Steel roared in pain and staggered back, but then Alexei started beating him ruthlessly, landing blow after blow on the retreating Iron Dragon.

**/**

Laxus flew at Nullpudding, kicking at him with lightning, but the Raven Tail mage jumped and dodged, trying to hit Laxus with the same backhand he'd used on Gajeel.

The lightning mage managed to dodge though, and hit Nullpudding with a mass of electrical spheres, "Thunder Bullets!"

The first few hit, then Nullpudding fired off spikes from his arms, "Spike Cannon!" The spheres were penetrated by the spikes, then exploded like balloons.

Nullpudding landed on the ground and chuckled, "Not bad. You're doing better than Gajeel over there…"

Laxus glanced over to see Alexei holding Gajeel up by the throat, crushing him as Black Steel clawed uselessly at the armor.

**/**

Levy shrieked, "STOP IT!"

Lily bristled, "Does he really mean to kill Gajeel?!"

"Ivan…Where did you find such a hellbent monster like that?!" Makarov breathed angrily.

**/**

Alexei kept squeezing on Gajeel's throat, "Have you learned your place, Black Steel?"

To his, and the rest of the stadium's surprise, Gajeel actually _laughed, _"Gee-hee…such soft hands...!"

He was cut off as Alexei crushed him tighter, then punched him in the face, sending Black Steel flying into the wall.

Gajeel got up slowly and caught his breath, then grinned at him, "I've just about..figured you out."

"Figured me out? That's highly doubtful." Alexei muttered back.

Cracking his neck, Gajeel's grin became fierce, "Well, now…I'm about done warming up. Let's see you handle this!"

He lunged at the armored man, who fired black energy as Black Steel got closer, but then Gajeel jumped up and flipped forward, crashing his iron legs into Alexei's chest, "Iron Dragon's Guillotine!" Alexei was sent flying into the opposite wall with a loud crash.

**/**

"Needle Blast!" Nullpudding shouted, swinging his fists as he fired off more of the needles. Laxus dodged effortlessly, zipping around in his lightning body to avoid and counterattack.

The Raven Tail mage sniggered, "What's wrong, Laxus?! Are you afraid of hitting my spiked body?!"

Laxus's eyes narrowed, "Afraid of you..? That's one thing..you should never have assumed!"

He suddenly flew down and crashed his fist into Nullpudding's head with devastating force, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

The sheer force of the blow smashed Nullpudding through the stadium floor and straight to the rocky bottom where the Dragon Slayers and God Slayers had fought earlier, forming a crater as he hit the ground. He twitched a few times before he fainted, utterly stunned from the overwhelming attack.

**/**

The crowd yelled excitedly. "A-amazing! That's the one! That's the attack that scored almost 7000 points on day three! Fairy Tail has made a comeback! Nullpudding has been incapacitated! Can Alexei turn this dire situation around?!"

Chapati just riled up the crazed spectators even more until they were screaming.

**/**

Mira cheered, "That's our Laxus!"

Natsu grinned, "We've as good as won now! Gajeel's got Alexei on the ropes, too!"

"Does he really?" Ur murmured, her eyes narrow.

**/**

Alexei burst out of the wall with a fierce swipe of his hand, then stepped towards the awaiting mages.

Gajeel grinned, "It's just you, now. Let's wrap this up-!"

_"Do not presume you have won, child!" _

Alexei suddenly shot forwards and grabbed both Laxus and Gajeel by the face, then dove into the massive crater made by Zancrow's breath attack.

**/**

"A-Alexei is taking the fight outside of the arena! The battle will continue! Everyone watch via lacrima vision!" Chapati announced.

**/**

Laxus and Gajeel roared as Alexei spread his arms and dragged their bodies along the walls as they fell towards the ground.

Laxus gritted his teeth and transformed into lightning, then flew up above Alexei and dove back down at him.

The Raven Tail mage spun and kicked him first, then threw Gajeel into Laxus and made them both fall below him. Alexei held his hands out, then a mass of paper dolls surrounded the Fairy Tail mages and exploded violently, making the surrounding walls of rock fall apart.

**/**

Freed paled, "That guy..he's fighting off Laxus and Gajeel like that?!"

Mavis's eyes were narrow slits, "This Alexei man really is remarkable..that he can match two of our seasoned mages like that…"

**/**

Gajeel hit the ground hard and rolled to ease the impact, but Laxus turned into lightning and got above Alexei as the armored mage fell just a few meters above the rocky earth.

Laxus held his hands out and shouted, "Thunder Bullets!"

The spheres of lightning crashed into Alexei and exploded, but Gajeel didn't give the armored mage time to rest and fired off bolts of steel, "Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!"

His armor made the spears clatter off, doing little to no damage, but the irritating sound of iron meeting iron made Alexei angry enough to fire a beam of dark energy at Gajeel and send him sprawling.

As Laxus came up above and behind him with a fist raised, Alexei ducked and dodged the blow, then grabbed the lightning mage by the throat and slammed his head straight down into the ground.

**/**

_"LAXUS!"_ Mira cried, horrified by the brutal attack.

Natsu was stunned, "Is this for real..?"

"Afraid so." Ur muttered darkly.

**/**

Alexei stomped Laxus's chest, cracking the ground beneath him, "So naive..believing you'd won just because you defeated one of our mages…That has always been one of your shortcomings, Laxus…"

He glanced over at Gajeel and grunted, "You too..always thinking you were at the top of the world…Even dragons must stop flying eventually. That time for you is now. You two...I no longer hold interest in you."

**/**

"A-are they both down?! Are Laxus and Gajeel really unable to keep fighting?!" Chapati exclaimed.

The crowd muttered nervously, the air in the stadium tense.

**/**

Laxus reached up and grabbed Alexei's leg, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "I knew it…You..you really are..that man…"

Alexei stared down at him and chuckled, "I'm honestly surprised you can still talk..the attack I used on you typically breaks a person's neck."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Laxus gasped, then shoved the armored foot off his chest and rolled over to rise to his knees.

Alexei did nothing, just watched him closely, "Submit. Fairy Tail's time is at an end. Despite successfully defeating Sabertooth..they are really just five mages and a violent old man. Raven Tail is filled with lethal mages."

A cackle made the armored mage turn to glance at Gajeel, who also stood up shakily, "Oh, we know that, you old fart…You told me..everything…"

Alexei's hand twitched with slight unease, "Gajeel…"

Laxus smirked, "It ain't over by a long shot, old man. By now..I now every little detail of how your fighting style works."

"Of course. I wondered how I was one siding you so easily. I should have known." Alexei grunted.

**/**

Her heart was in her mouth, but Levy still managed to smile a little at seeing Gajeel stand up.

Freed cheered, "Show him your real power, Laxus! The time for feeling out is over!"

"Kick his ass!" Bixlow yelled.

"Our pride's on the line! Don't you dare let us down!" Evergreen shouted.

**/**

Gajeel walked over to Laxus and faced Alexei, grinning a little crazily, "We know exactly how you tick. Here's one, did you know when you attack, your pivot leg turns to eleven o' clock?"

Laxus glanced at him, "Dumbass. It's ten o' clock."

"It's eleven." Gajeel argued.

The lightning mage tch'd, "Even if you give a step, it's ten-thirty! Not eleven!"

Black Steel growled, "It's eleven! Twenty-three would be fine too!"

Laxus rolled his eyes and caught sight of a mine cart behind Gajeel, "Twenty-three is a whole revolution! Gah, screw you!"

He shoved Gajeel into the mine cart and pulled the lever that started the craft. Black Steel was immediately reduced to a sick weakling, "H-hey! You bastard-ugh!"

The mine cart went down the rail line until it was out of sight. Laxus turned back to Alexei with a snicker, "Gee-hee…"

The armored mage was thoroughly confused, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Since you looked down on us, I can't just take that without a reply." Laxus murmured, holding a hand up while his body sparked with lightning, _"I'm more than enough to take you down…"_


	40. Mighty Lightning Dragon

**This is the last chapter of the Day Four competition, so I hoped you liked the fighting! For those of you who read these battles before, I did change some things to make them better other than the paragraphing. Enjoy!**

**Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 40: Mighty Lightning Dragon_

Jellal was watching the battle from the shadows in the stadium, but suddenly he detected the strange magic power and immediately contacted Ultear. "_It's..him!" _

_"It feels like Zeref, but it's different…" Ultear murmured. _

_Meredy was nervous, "He came back…" _

_Ultear became more urgent, "Jellal, don't let him get away this time!" _

_"I know!" _Jellal cut the telepathy and ran after the source of the magic power. _I'm concerned about the match, but…This has to come first. I might not get along with you well…But good luck. Laxus._

**/**

Alexei ran Laxus's statement through his head a few times, "You believe..you are enough to defeat me..?"

Laxus said nothing, just stared at him head on.

The armored mage laughed coldly, "An easy mistake believing that, but a fatal one removing Gajeel from the equation…You stand no chance."

"I wouldn't bet on that, old man." Laxus muttered, eyes knowing.

Alexei fell silent, then rushed him with a raised fist, "Have it your way, brat! I'll pound into your very soul the gravity of the mistake you have made!"

He swung down, but to his surprise, Laxus caught the blow easily with one hand.

Alexei had enough time to grunt, "What?!" before the lightning mage brought his fist back and crashed it into the armored mask, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

Alexei bellowed with pain from the force, being lifted off his feet as he was sent flying into the wall.

**/**

"Wait…he was holding back this whole time?" Natsu muttered.

Ur sighed and smiled, "I should've known."

Mira clasped her hands together as if in prayer. _Laxus…_

**/**

Levy tilted her head worriedly, "Why did he get rid of Gajeel again?"

"Because he's too badass to fight two on one!" Freed exclaimed.

Lily grunted, "Well, Gajeel is too, so..I guess it's only fair…"

Charle rolled her eyes, "Fanboys."

"HEY!" they protested angrily.

**/**

Laxus turned into lightning and flew after Alexei to slam his head into the ground. The armored mage rolled aside as the lightning mage went for another punch, then kicked him in the jaw. Laxus spat blood and retaliated with another fierce punch, cracking the chest piece of Alexei's armor.

Alexei staggered back from the force, grunting in pain, "You brat!"

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus bellowed and fired a beam of electricity from his open jaws, which crashed into the armored mage and exploded.

Leaping up out of the smoke, Alexei sent a flurry of paper dolls out after his opponent, but Laxus used his lightning body to fly around and get behind him, then landed a devastating drop kick into the Raven Tail mage's back.

Alexei crashed into the earth and rolled onto his back as Laxus hurled a mass of lightning at the grounded mage, "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" A massive explosion roared out, enveloping Alexei with it's electrifying force.

The armored mage hit the ground hard, but staggered to his feet and faced Laxus again, who got in close and engaged him in violent hand to hand combat.

**/**

Jura eyed the two mages closely and couldn't resist smiling.

Lyon glanced at him and smirked, "Find something you like?"

"Indeed…" the Wizard Saint rumbled. _The son of Master Makarov…Laxus…_

**/**

Alexei soon gave up trying to fight back and focused on defending himself from the relentless rain of attacks. He was lifted off the ground as Laxus landed a devastating uppercut with a lightning-enhanced fist.

Laxus then dropped to the ground and slammed his fist into the rock with a bellow, "Lightning Eruption!" The earth beneath Alexei sparked, then exploded into a huge pillar of lightning.

Alexei screeched from the pain, but used the chance to counterattack, firing off a mass of dark energy at the Fairy Tail mage.

Laxus blew it away effortlessly with a fist, glaring at Alexei with a look of thunder on his face, "How dare you hurt Wendy and Charle…" He rushed forward and started hammering the armored mage with brutal power.

All Alexei could do was stagger back and block what he could, but it was a hopeless attempt. _This is..! Is this really Laxus?!_

**/**

"Th-this is unbelievable! Laxus is completely one-siding Alexei!" Chapati shrieked.

The crowd screamed from excited shock.

**/**

Makarov was amazed.

Mavis smiled, "Your grandson…really is strong…"

**/**

Laxus roared as he grabbed Alexei's wrist and rammed his knee into the armored mage's stomach, then threw him into the wall with a loud crash.

The lightning mage held his fist up and brought down a massive thunderbolt on Alexei, "Raging Bolt!" Alexei bellowed with pain, but his ordeal was far from over.

As Laxus flew at him again, the Raven Tail mage fired more paper dolls at him, but Laxus blew them away like bothersome flies and kept coming to land a fierce punch to the armored mage's gut, "How dare you threaten Lucy!"

Alexei coughed from the blow, then went sprawling to the ground as Laxus smashed his fist into the back of his head. He staggered to his feet, just in time to get kicked in the chest and sent flying. Pieces of armor were going everywhere as Laxus kept going with the brutal assault, crushing Alexei with blow after blow of lightning fists.

The Raven Tail mage was soon gasping for breath as Laxus smote him in the chest with a huge bolt of lighting and a roar, "How dare you harm my family!"

**/**

"He's letting him have it!" Natsu cheered.

Ur raised an eyebrow, "So, that's what he's like when he's serious…"

Mira laughed and wiped a little moisture from the corner of her eye, "He's incredible…"

**/**

Alexei spluttered as he took another fierce punch to his armored face, "Y-you would..consider Fairy Tail your family? That trash? Ridiculous!"

He managed to dodge another punch and landed a fierce blow to Laxus's chest, "Those weaklings don't even share your blood!"

"The only blood I care about..is the blood of my enemies!" Laxus declared, kicking Alexei in the side of the head and dropping him to the ground.

The lightning mage dragged him to his feet and held the Raven Tail mage up with one hand, bringing his right fist back with a growl, "Secret Dragon Slayer Art…"

Alexei struggled to escape, coughing angrily, "You wouldn't dare harm family! You know who I am!"

"You dared to harm this dragon's _real _family!" Laxus shouted, his fist crackling with lightning, "And I crush my family's enemies!"

Bellowing mightily, Laxus devastated Alexei as he struck with a massive burst of lightning from his fist, **_"ROARING THUNDER!" _**

Alexei screamed as he was was crushed into the rock wall, which broke down completely and fell to pieces.

**/**

An earthquake ripped through the stadium from the force of the final blow, making the spectators scream.

**/**

Raven Tail stared in utter shock.

**/**

Makarov sweated, stunned from the reality that had just struck him. _To..to think Laxus was…this powerful…!_

**/**

"A-a-a-annihilation! This is annihilation! Laxus just..! Raven Tail..lost!" Chapati managed.

Yajima's eyes were wide, "I do believe we just discovered a monster…"

"AMAZING! Thank you very much!" Rabian screamed, which the crowd echoed thunderously.

**/**

Laxus glared down at Alexei, who crumpled to the ground in a heap. The lightning mage growled, "Don't you dare come after us again. Next time, I won't be so merciful..old man…"

He started walking away, but Alexei muttered from the ground, "Laxus…it's my loss today, but…remember this..Even Fairy Tail…isn't without it's darkness…"

Laxus glanced at him curiously, then turned away and walked off.

**/**

"What a sweeping victory! Two major upsets! Both Fairy Tail teams defeated Sabertooth AND Raven Tail! The new rankings are coming up!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

**1st. Fairy Tail B (52pt.)**

**2nd. Fairy Tail A (49pt.)**

**2nd. Sabertooth (49pt.)**

**4th. Raven Tail (47pt.)**

**5th. Lamia Scale (35pt.)**

**6th. Mermaid Heel (28pt.)**

**7th. Blue Pegasus (27pt.)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy (12pt.)**

**/**

"Fairy Tail's at the top! They're currently the number one guild in Fiore! Can Sabertooth and Raven Tail recover from this devastating blow?! That concludes the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games! The competitors get a free day to rest, and the last battle takes place the day after tomorrow! It will be a survival battle where all the members of each team participate! Who will claim victory?! Look forward to it! Thank you!"

The crowd's cheering rose in anticipation.

**/**

Master Bob sighed, "I knew it…"

**/**

"As expected..eh?" Goldmine muttered.

**/**

Oobaba spun her finger, "Our target for the last day has changed!"

**/**

Makarov grinned fiercely, "Come!"

**/**

**_"Go after Fairy Tail!"_**

**_/_**

Lyon smirked, "Wait for me, Gray…"

Jura smiled, "Laxus..and Ur…Makarov's trump cards..."

**/**

Kagura gripped Archenemy and murmured softly, "Erza…"

**/**

Ren and Hibiki chuckled quietly, "Gajeel and Rogue..the Dark Dragons..."

Jenny flipped her hair with a confident smirk, "Oh, Mira…"

**/**

Bacchus grinned, "Natsu and Sting…Get ready!"

**/**

Natsu laughed, "Alright, about time! What a badass way to hit first place, right Mira..? Uh, Mira?"

The girl was nowhere in sight.

Ur smiled, "I think she's got something else on her mind, Natsu."

The Salamander blinked, then grinned, "Oh…"

**/**

In a tunnel underground, Gajeel finally managed to make the mine cart stop by tipping it over and fell out, gasping to control his sickness.

After catching his breath, he growled furiously, "Dreyar..I'm gonna kill you so dead…"

He stood up and glanced around, grunting with frustration, "Where the hell am I anyways?! Under the arena?!"

A cave with a low glow up ahead caught his attention, so he walked towards it, but stopped dead in his tracks, eyes getting wide.

Gajeel almost forgot how to breathe for a moment, "Wh-what the..this…" Bones were strewn out everywhere, the bones of large creatures…winged creatures.

Gajeel recognized the shape instantly and whispered, but the echo of the cave made the sound reverberate deeply, "A dragon..graveyard…?!"

**/**

Jellal tracked the magic power back to the person he'd seen the day before, finally catching sight of them in the exiting crowd. _I will not let you escape! You're magic is similar to Zeref's…who in the world are you?! _

**/**

_The castle collapsing...Lucy's tears as the two dragons screeched in pain…_

Charle gasped as she snapped out of the vision.

Wendy stared at her with concern, "Are you okay, Charle?"

"Y-yeah…" she muttered, swallowing slightly.

_I saw the dragons fighting again…_

Levy suddenly came into the room and ran over to where they sat with Lucy and Sting, "Guys, we did it!"

"Levy!" Lucy exclaimed.

The script mage smiled, "If things keep up, we might really win!"

Sting grinned, "Of course! We would never lose this!"

Levy tapped her chin, "By the way, have you seen Gajeel?"

Lucy blinked, "What, he's not back yet?"

"He's probably chewing on iron and cursing Laxus somewhere." Sting sniggered, then shook his head, "He'll be back eventually."

Levy nodded, "You're right."

**/**

_Back then…we were certain we would win. Victory was in our sights…The last day was such a violent battle..do you remember, Lucy? Then on July seventh…_

_We lost to fate._

_…Died…Also died. And…and…Even my dear…as well as…I..I can't even put it into words, Lucy! _

A girl with scars running down her once pretty face cried helplessly, hardly able to finish writing on the paper as she trembled.

_I can't take this anymore! Someone help us!_

**/**

"Stop."

Jellal finally managed to catch the mysterious person alone in an alley, and they paused at his word. He pulled his mask down, watching them intently, "I'll show you my face. Now you show me yours."

The hooded figure remained still for a bit, allowing him to size his target up in case they attacked. He frowned as he noticed the build of the person. It was slight, and graceful, something he didn't expect.

_A woman..? _

The person turned to face him slowly until he had a clear view of her face. Jellal paled and his eyes widened in utter shock, "..! No way!"


	41. Reawakenings

**Okay! I had to take a break after that crazy three-chapters-in-a-day-run I did with the double battles! Phew! Well, I'm back now, so here's another good chapter! This one is almost entirely suspense and plot building. The next chapter will be the same, so expect the Grand Magic War Game to start around chapter 43! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 41: Reawakenings_

A hooded figure sat in an alley with a notepad in their lap, then pulled a pen from their cloak, bit the cap off and started to scribble onto the note.

After a few minutes, a policeman walked into the alley by chance and noticed the figure, shouting at it, "Hey! You can't be here! It's off limits!"

The figure, disturbed, quickly fled, dropping the notepad.

The policeman picked it up and looked it over, scratching his head, "What a messy scrawl..umm…July 7th..Eclipse Plan..Dragon King Festival…what the…?"

**/**

Jellal stood quietly in front of Ultear, having finished telling her the secrets he'd discovered.

The girl was stunned, unable to comprehend the gravity of what he was telling her at first. "That's impossible. It's just..impossible…" Ultear managed.

Jellal shook his head, "To say we miscalculated would be a horrible understatement. And at the same time, we were also dragged into a fate we cannot resist…The Eclipse that opens the doors to changing the world. And the Ryuuousai…The Dragon King Festival…"

He sighed heavily, then frowned, "Meredy…where is she?"

**/**

"CHEERS!"

Fairy Tail raised their mugs for the god-knows-what time that night, doing their best to celebrate the massive victory they'd pulled off.

Lucy had been released from the clinic, much to the relief and delight of her guild. Sting had also been released after getting a bandage over the upper half of his scar which had been reopened during the fight. The only ones not celebrating at the moment were…

Levy looked at the door, "Has anyone seen Gajeel come in?"

Rogue smiled, but his eyebrow twitched slightly, "For the seventh time…You'll know when he comes in because everyone will start fighting…"

"No fighting tonight, Rogue." Yukino chided, poking him in the middle of his forehead.

Erza glanced at Natsu, "Hey, I've been wondering this ever since the end of the competition today, but when did you get Igneo fixed?"

"Gajeel and I fixed it in the mountains." he explained, "Ur took us to a volcano since it was harder for her to use her ice magic. We rebuilt the sword there, so it's 100% Dragon Slayer Magic now."

Rogue looked over at that, "That means you're going to be using your own power rather than the lacrima's from now on."

Natsu nodded, "Yeah, I did have to change my fighting style a little, but the difference isn't that huge."

Sting grunted, "At this rate, all the Dragon Slayers are gonna end up with big swords."

Wendy laughed nervously, "Not me!"

"I'm not sure I want Laxus to go around with a sword. Something like that for a man like him…it just seems like overkill." Elfman muttered.

Natsu looked around, "You know, I haven't seen Laxus since the fight ended…"

"Yeah. Mira went looking for him earlier. I hope they're okay…" Lisanna murmured.

Happy sniggered, "Laxus and Mira sitting in a tree! K-I-S-"

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence Happy!" Elfman yelled.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Gajeel strode inside.

Levy immediately brightened, "Gajeel, you're back-?"

"Sorry shrimp, talk's gotta wait til later. Salamander, White Dragon, Rogue, kid, come with me." he interrupted.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "What for?"

Gajeel grunted, "Just shut up and come with me."

Sting snorted, "Why? What's so-"

"Come with me." he snarled.

Rogue sighed, "Oh, very well. Let's make this quick, whatever it is."

Though reluctant, the Dragon Slayers (As well as the Exceed) got up and left with the pushy Gajeel.

**/**

Lucy nudged Yukino, "Hey, let's follow them!"

Yukino blinked, "But they wanted to go alone…"

"Well, aren't you curious?" Lucy urged.

Yukino hesitated, but that was all the answer Lucy needed, grabbing her friend's arm and dragging her off, "Let's go find out what they're up to!"

"Waah! L-Lucy, hold on!" Yukino protested.

**/**

Laxus sat in a bench at the park, twiddling his thumbs together while he replayed the fight in his mind over and over again.

Alexei's words rang in his head. _You wouldn't dare harm family! You know who I am! _

Oh, he knew. He had suspected it earlier, but now it was clear. Alexei was really Ivan Dreyar in disguise.

Another thing he had said was bothering Laxus.

_Even Fairy Tail isn't without it's darkness…_

Laxus shook his head and sighed, "The hell does that even mean?"

He looked up at the night sky, noting the bright stars. Sadly, the sight did little to take the uneasy edge off his mind, "Damn old man. Why'd you have to drag your sorry ass into this? Couldn't you just have stayed holed up in the middle of nowhere?"

Laxus cracked his knuckles unconsciously, still gazing up at the stars, "…Sometimes I wish this would just stop for a bit…just settle down and forget all the shit that's gone on in life, you know? All this cloak and dagger stuff ain't my style…?"

Laxus blinked, then growled to himself and shook his head again, "Goddammit, I'm going crazy! The hell am I doing, talking to frickin' _stars?! _That's the sort of thing I'd expect from gramps, and even in his age he isn't that insane! Shit!"

"Well, maybe you just need someone to talk to."

He glanced down the path as Mira walked over with a smile, "And maybe you weren't sure who to speak to."

Laxus snorted, "Do you really consider stars to be people? I think I should ask the old hag if my head's okay. That Raven bastard might have hit me a little too hard."

Mira laughed, but tilted her head, "I guess..you could consider the stars to be people. I mean, Lucy and Yukino's spirits are all, "Stars" and they're human enough…So you're not crazy at all. Maybe you're just talking to the stars because they remind you of a spirit."

"You think..?" he muttered, crossing his arms.

She took a seat beside him, frowning slightly, "Are you okay? You didn't go to the infirmary after the battle…Are your wounds healing well?"

Laxus grunted, "Yeah, they're fine…"

He fell silent for a bit, but Mira started again, "Is something the matter?"

"…Maybe, but…I should probably talk to the old man about it first…" he said slowly.

She smiled a little, "Well if you're going to talk about it later, then just relax for now."

Laxus frowned, "…I'm not sure we'll have time to…"

Mira stared at him as he went on, "Something isn't adding up…thinking about it now..Raven Tail..the impression I got fighting them today…they aren't the ones who went after Lucy..they want something else."

"So..if they didn't go after Lucy, who did? Sabertooth? After what Minerva did today…" she trailed off.

Laxus shook his head, "It's not Saber either…Minerva's a sadistic wench, but she's too cool-headed and analytic to screw up the way those goons did…I'm not certain about what she wants, but after what happened yesterday with Yukino and adding what we learned today, I think she's too smart to make a mistake like misidentification. I don't think Minerva's the one who went after Yukino at all. There's a third party hiding behind all of this."

Mira sighed, "And yet Minerva still hasn't made clear what she wanted with Lisanna..Nothing's for certain, yet."

Laxus mentally smacked himself and grinned at Mira, "Gah, I'm putting you through hell with all of this crazy conspiracy shit, aren't I? Let's go do something less bothersome. Wanna get something for dinner?"

She brightened immediately, "Sure!"

They stood from the bench and started walking down the path until Mira gave him a sideways glance, "Don't keep everything on your shoulders, Laxus. You can tell me anytime if something's on your mind."

He blinked, "Okay…"

She smiled, "I mean it. Everyone in the guild admires you. We're all really proud of who you are."

Laxus's eyes narrowed, "And who am I, exactly?"

"Well, you're..you. You're Laxus. You're our Lightning Dragon…" Mira walked a few paces ahead and glanced over her shoulder at him, "And you know? I think out of everyone, I'm the most proud of you."

He arched an eyebrow, then smirked, "You sure you wanna be proud of trouble like me?"

Mira laughed, "On the contrary, I can't imagine being more proud of anyone else."

That managed to shut him up entirely, much to Mirajane's amusement as she kept walking.

Laxus stared after her. _I take it all back, Natsu. You were right; It's impossible to beat these Fairy Sisters in an argument. _

He smiled to himself. _How did a pair of sorry bastards like you and me end up catching the eyes of two pretty sisters like them, right? _

"Laxus!"

He snapped out of his trance to see Mira waving at him, "Hurry! All the good places will close soon!"

"Coming." he replied, walking after her. _However it happened…I'm glad you and I came back for them. Natsu._

**/**

In the streets of Crocas, pedestrians were looking at a scoreboard for the Grand Magic Games, arguing with each other over who would be victorious.

"Fairy Tail's so strong!"

"The B Team's up in first with A Team tied for second!"

"Sabertooth…hehehe..wow."

"Saber's done."

"I think Fairy Tail's gonna take it!"

"Raven Tail's pretty close too!"

"I think it'd be cool if Lamia pulled off a win this year…"

"I'd like Mermaid to win!"

"Hey! Sabertooth can still make it!"

"No way!"

"No…I can't imagine Saber letting this go so easily."

**/**

Gemma, having gathered his guild, glared at the God Slayers, "Zancrow. Orga. Explain yourselves."

Orga shifted uncomfortably, "Ain't nothin' to say. Those bastards…they pulled a fast one on us."

Zancrow clenched his fist, "No one could've guessed they could use multiple Unison Raids…And Dragon Force..was much more powerful than we'd been led to believe."

Gemma stood abruptly, "Are those the words of the strongest guild? Are they? Who told you to make such a disgrace? Who said you could lose?"

He stared them in the face, then snapped, "Orga. Your arrogance and constant gloating led you to hold back until the last minute. You had the same problem yesterday with the competition! Had you been serious from the start, I should expect they would have not been able to stand against you. Four points is measly, but at least it's something. Your punishment is yet to be decided, but Zancrow…"

Gemma glared down at the young God Slayer and released a shockwave, "You have no excuses! That was your second chance!"

As Zancrow hit the floor, Gemma started beating him and shouting, "Erase your guild mark! There are no weaklings in my guild! I have no use for losers!"

"Father."

He glanced at Minerva, who stepped forward with a smirk, "While it's true that Zancrow was defeated today…We face a problem. Amongst our guild, there is no other member who possesses the strength required to replace him. If you would be so generous as to grant him another chance at the final day…Perhaps now he won't be so keen to lose at the hands of the Dragon Slayers."

Gemma stared at her, then turned away with a mutter, "…Zancrow. You may stay..for now. That said..This act is something I cannot let go without severe punishment."

The Flame God spat blood, "Bring whatever hell you've got, I'll take it."

"Oh, not you. You're beating today is the worst of your physical punishment." Gemma grunted.

Zancrow blinked, puzzled, "What?"

The Guild Master pointed at him, "You think I didn't notice on the third day? There was little pain in your movements when you returned to us…Dobengal. Tell him what you saw."

The man stepped forward and knelt, "As were Master's orders, I was sent out to trail you after you were exiled. You met a woman who could take away pain. That's how you were able to move so well the day after your first punishment, Zancrow."

The Flame God's eye twitched, but he still glared at Dobengal, then his Master, "What does she have to do with any this?"

"Dobengal tracked her to where she is currently staying."

Now Zancrow paled as Gemma went on, "And after that humiliating defeat..your final punishment was already decided. Dobengal."

The man vanished, and for a few short seconds, all was quiet. Then he reappeared with Meredy bound and gagged. The girl struggled against him, but tied up as she was, it was pointless in Dobengal's tight grip.

Zancrow faced Gemma uneasily, "What the hell, you just kidnapped someone?! She doesn't even-"

"Remove her clothes." Gemma rumbled.

Zancrow blanched in shock and immediately shook his head, "Don't. Dobengal-"

"Do it!" Gemma roared.

The Flame God glared at him, "She has nothing to do with this!"

The Guild Master walked up and towered over him, "She dared to heal you. To cut short your punishment. She was already bound to be punished for interfering with the rules of the strongest guild!"

"This isn't punishment! This is-!"

Zancrow was interrupted as Gemma backhanded him, "You dare defy me?! I am the Master of Sabertooth!"

He turned away with a grunt, "Dobengal, strip her. Then go get that brat from Fairy Tail this fool spoke of. His punishment has been extended for defying me."

Zancrow bristled, "Don't you _dare _lay a hand on Romeo!"

Gemma spun around, fury lighting up his face, "Are you so weak now that you actually grant fodder a title?! You're embarrassing yourself!"

"You're a monster!" Zancrow roared.

"SILENCE! You argue for the sake of some bitch and a worthless brat-!"

Something in the Flame God snapped.

A sudden rush of power surged within him along with an unconquerable rage. Roaring with anger, Zancrow lunged forward and struck Gemma in the chest with his black fire, but the attack exceeded his normal strength, blasting right through the Guild Master's front and out his back.

Sabertooth stared in shock as Gemma choked blood, his innards effectively incinerated.

Meredy's eyes got huge.

Minerva smirked, "Good."

**/**

Natsu grumbled as Gajeel led them into the tunnel, "Where the hell are we going?"

"Shut up and follow me." Black Steel rumbled.

Wendy glanced at him, "What did you find that's so important?"

Happy tilted his head curiously, "Is it something related to the Dragon Slayers?"

Lily nodded, "Probably."

"Fro thinks so to!" Frosch chirped.

Lector looked behind them, "Well…we've got company, too."

Lucy and Yukino had been caught when they first entered the tunnel. Lucy laughed nervously, "Well, we're curious."

Gajeel stopped at the entrance to a huge cave, "We're here."

Sting froze, eyes getting huge, "What the…"

"Th-this…what..?!" Rogue choked in shock.

There were skeletons everywhere, ranging in size from just over twenty feet to well past one hundred.

Yukino gasped, "Th-those are..!"

Natsu swallowed hard, "Dragon bones..this..is this a dragon graveyard…?"

Charle gulped, "Th-there's..so many…"

"I can't even count them all…" Lector managed, tail bristling.

Lily stared at the largest skeleton, effectively stunned, "This place confirms for certain that dragons once existed…"

"What is this place?!" Lucy asked.

Gajeel crossed his arms and shook his head, "The hell if I know."

Sting's eyes trailed over every skeleton in sight, "Why are there so many of them?!"

Rogue's eyes darkened, "This was no accident. Something huge happened here. For so many dragons to die in the same place…"

Happy looked up at his partner, "Natsu, could Igneel be…?"

The Salamander shook his head, "No..he isn't here. These bones are so old..they could've been here for centuries."

"I agree. Our dragons have only been missing for fourteen years…these..have been dead since ancient times." Gajeel muttered.

Wendy suddenly gasped, "Milky Way!"

Yukino stared at her, "What?"

"The spell Grandine left for me! The Secret Dragon Slayer Art! It's supposed to listen to the voices of dragons who have ascended to heaven. I..I assumed it was a combat technique, but."

Wendy looked over the bones and nodded, "It has to be for something like this! If I use Milky Way here, maybe we can talk to the spirits of the dragons who died here!"

"Really?!" Sting asked in surprise.

Rogue glanced from Wendy to the skeletons, "I see..If we can speak to them..we may discover what happened here. And find out what's happened to the other dragons…"

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Wendy drew a diagram in the ground with a stick, making an extremely complicated and extravagant magic circle.

Once she was done, she waved at the others behind her, "Okay…All done! Everyone please stand back!"

She closed her eyes and got on her knees, then held her hands up, "I call to thee, oh wandering souls of dragons! Accept my call to thee! Milky Way!"

Starlight suddenly lit up the room, flowing from the magical circle in sparkling streams. At the same time, the dragon skeletons in the cave began to shudder and tremble.

Lucy clutched at Sting's arm, "Uhh…A-are the bones supposed to be moving?"

He shook his head nervously, "Oi, Wendy, is this safe?"

She murmured softly, "I'm searching for the souls of the dragons who've passed. The memories here are very old..and small…"

Her eyes snapped open and she clapped her hands together as an orb of light appeared at the far side of the cave, "I found you!"

The starlight swirled around the small orb, making it's size grow considerably.

Gajeel's jaw dropped, "Whoa!"

"Is that a soul?!" Lily demanded.

Frosch tilted her head at the girl, "Wendy?"

When there was no response, Charle shrugged, "I guess she's concentrating."

The orb of light suddenly flashed and turned dark emerald, morphing into a shape that for the Fairy Tail mages was hauntingly familiar. Scales and spikes grew, wings erupted, claws slid out of their sheaths.

Natsu actually took a step back in disbelief, "Th-this..!"

A massive green dragon materialized out of thin air, jaws agape and fangs bared. It took a deep, massive breath, then released a titanic bellow. The mages recoiled in shock, yelling at the top of their lungs.

The huge green dragon starting roaring…but with _laughter. _

"Ahahahahahahaha! Seeing the faces of humans chickening out cracks me up every single time!" the dragon said cheerily.

The mages were utterly stunned at his sudden change of mood, for the deep voice left no question that this dragon was a male.

The dragon sat up tall with his head held high, "My name is Zilconis, or the, "Emerald Dragon." Zilconis swung his huge head to the sides, glancing around, "Waking me up like this…Only Grandine's got this power. Where is she?"

By chance, he looked down and saw Wendy, who was still concentrating. With a cheeky grin, Zealconis leaned down and eyed the tiny girl, "How cute! This little Dragon Slayer managed to wake me up?!"

Natsu got in front of the girl fast, "Oi! Keep away from Wendy!"

Zilconis growled, "I don't feel like it. How about I just gobble her up right now?!"

"You bastard…" Natsu hissed.

Again, the dragon laughed, "Kid-ding! How the hell can I do anything without a physical body?! Stupid humans!" To prove his point, the Emerald Dragon poked one huge claw in and out of Natsu's head with no effect.

The Salamander shook his head uneasily, "This guy…"

Lucy swallowed, "What's going on? Who's this guy that keeps messing around?"

"He's not a guy..he's a dragon…" Yukino corrected.

Rogue sighed, "Actually, he's a spirit…"

The dragon grinned again, "My name is Zilconis, or the Emerald Dragon!"

"We heard you the first time, you retard!" Gajeel roared.

Lector face palmed and stared up at the huge dragon, "What happened here?"

"So many dragon skeletons are lying around…" Charle murmured.

Lily nodded, "That's why we called you here. We want to know the truth behind this."

Zilconis harrumphed, "I've got no interest in talking with humans. Get lost."

Happy held a paw up, "But we're cats."

The Emerald Dragon considered this, then shrugged, "Well, it was over four hundred years ago…"

Sting grumbled under his breath, "This guy just does whatever he wants, despite his own rules…"

Zilconis continued, "Back then, dragons ruled the world. We soared high, dominated the lands, even crossed the seas…we lived prosperous lives. Everything belonged to dragons. Humans were just fodder…"

His snickered caused Natsu to narrow his eyes.

The Emerald Dragon went on, "However..A fool of a dragon appeared and protested our reign. He spoke some nonsense of dragons and humans coexisting. That split us into a civil war between those who supported him, and those that opposed him. I battled alongside the opposition."

Yukino gulped, "But..if you were in the opposition, then..?"

Zilconis licked his lips at the sight of her, "I don't like humans, but you don't taste that bad. I'm getting hungry just eyeing this one…"

Rogue, clearly displeased with his opinion of Yukino, smirked, "That means you're talking to food."

Zilconis's jaw dropped at his logic, "You really piss me off!"

Charle shook her head, "Forget that, what happened next?"

Zilconis, recovering his dignity, spread his huge wings and reared his head back in thought, "We were stuck in a stalemate. Our battles ravaged several lands. And that was when the pro human side put their foolish plan into action…They gave humans magic to kill dragons and had them enter the war."

Silence fell upon the cave for a bit, while the Dragon Slayers stared at Zilconis with uneasy expressions.

Lucy paled, "Dragon Slayer Magic?"

Lector's tail twitched, "So, that's how Dragon Slayer Magic started?"

Zilconis nodded, "The Dragon Slayers made a massive change. The victory of the pro human side would have been inevitable…had it not been for a small miscalculation."

The Emerald Dragon looked down on them with narrowed eyes, "They had given the humans too much power. And those who sought peace..were also slain by the hands of the Dragon Slayers."

Sting blanched and swallowed a lump past his throat.

Zilconis shivered, "Amongst those first Dragon Slayers..was a man who bathed in dragon blood…"

To the shock of the Fairy Tail mages, the great dragon shuddered and looked aside, real fear in his eyes, "Just the mention of his name is terror itself…That "Man" slaughtered countless dragons and continued to bathe in their blood, until his skin became scales, his teeth became fangs…he himself became a dragon."

Yukino gasped, "A-a human became a dragon?!"

"It's something that occurs as you go far down the path of Dragon Slayer Magic." Zealconis explained.

Needless to say, every person in the room looked incredibly uncomfortable with THAT new knowledge.

But the Emerald Dragon wasn't done, "The dragons resting here were killed by that one, "Man." He was both a human, and the dragon's king..this was the war that gave rise to the king of dragons. Hence, the Dragon King Festival…"

Zilconis thundered down on them, "The King's name was Acnologia. Whilst being a dragon, he also bears wings of pure darkness…"

Every hair on their heads bristled and stood on end at the revelation.

Lucy shrieked, "That _thing_ was…"

"Once a..a _human_?!" Rogue hissed.

Gajeel almost choked, "That's impossible!"

Natsu and Sting were effectively silenced, too stunned to even react with sound.

Zilconis nodded, "Most of the dragons here died by his hand..and that was all over four hundred years ago."

He smiled toothily, then his form shimmered with a final, low growl, "With this..I bid you farewell…" Zilconis then vanished entirely, fading to nothingness.

Natsu took a quick step forward, "Wait!"

"We still have things to ask!" Sting shouted.

Rogue spun towards the Sky Sorceress, "Wendy!"

The girl blinked her eyes open slowly and shook her head, "…It's no good. He's gone…"

Yukino stared at the place where the Emerald Dragon had been, "So..he ascended to heaven?"

The mages were quiet for a while, unsure how to take the new information they'd discovered.

Yukino frowned nervously, "This has become..really serious…"

"This is totally out of scale.." Lucy cried.

Natsu spun towards Gajeel, "So if we use too much of our Dragon Slayer Magic, we'll turn into dragons?!"

Black Steel shuddered and snapped, "I don't want to!"

Wendy had her head in her hands while she wailed, "Wahh! What do I do?!"

"That's impossible."

A new voice made them freeze.

Rogue whipped around to their back, "Who is it?!"

A man in armor and a cape with a rather square nose walked towards them from the shadows, "I heard your conversation. It would appear my research matches up with the actual history…I wonder, do you know about Zeref's Book of Dark Magic?"

Sting shifted uneasily, "That's the same thing that created Deliora, right? Gray told me once…" \

The man nodded, "Exactly. Acnologia is something close to that. One can even speculate that Zeref turned a Dragon Slayer into Acnologia."

Happy bristled, "Zeref did?!"

Charle's eyes got huge. _This guy…! He's the White Knight I saw in my visions! _

The man stopped a few meters away from them and smiled, "In other words, removing Zeref, the root of this problem, is the first step to defeating Acnologia."

Natsu growled, "Who are you?!"

"Destroy Zeref?!" Gajeel hissed.

The man nodded again, "I'm pleased to finally make your acquaintance…I am the Captain of the Holy Knights from the Fiore Army stationed in Crocas. You may call me Arcadios."


	42. Eclipse Plan

**Last chapter before the Grand Magic War Game begins! That said, this is a pretty good chapter! It's got some funny stuff with Gajeel, and a little fluff, so enjoy it! Hmm..not much else to say, so I hope you like it! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 42: Eclipse Plan_

"Enlighten me. What is a high-ranking officer of the Royal Army doing in a cave full of old dragon bones?" Rogue growled.

Natsu eyed the man cautiously, "I'm more interested in why you eavesdropped and why you're showing yourself to us."

Arcadios faced them unflinchingly, "Allow me to explain. There is a plan underway, one that requires the power of certain mages. That power being yours, Miss Lucy, Miss Yukino. The power of a Celestial Wizard."

Lucy shifted uneasily, "Our Spirits?"

Sting planted himself firmly between the knight and Lucy, glaring at him intensely, "Hold it right there. Quit talking so vaguely and tell us what you want."

Arcadios smiled at him, "You're Sting Eucliffe, correct? I saw your match today…very impressive. The same to you, Mr. Cheney…"

He watched Rogue with more caution than the others, but Sting got in his face and hissed, "I don't care about the fight. I wanna know what you want with Lucy and Yukino!"

The Dragon Slayers behind him were on edge, blocking the two girls with their bodies.

Lector gulped at Sting's direct approach, "Uhh..Sting, that's a high ranker…"

"You shouldn't call him that, then." Lily rebuked.

Charle appraised Arcadios with care. _The White Knight…_

Arcadios turned and walked away, "Follow me."

"Hey!" Sting shouted.

The Knight turned and stared at him, "Please, listen to me. I would not ask you or tell you anything of this plan if it weren't important. I beg of you to hear me out. If this plan works, we can destroy both Zeref and Acnologia."

The Dragon Slayers stared at him uneasily, all too familiar with just how massive a task like that would be.

Lucy considered, then muttered quietly, "Guys, maybe we should check it out..If we find out something about Acnologia-"

"We can't trust this guy. We don't know who he is, but he's made it very clear he wants you and Yukino for something." Sting growled.

Wendy gulped, "But on the other hand..we just found out that we might turn into dragons…if we can find out something about Acnologia, even just a little, maybe we can figure out how to prevent our own transformations…"

Gajeel tch'd, "I hate to admit it, but the kid's got a point…And I'm interested in this little plan the army's cooked up."

"It's decided then. We'll go, but Yukino and Lucy are staying at a distance." Rogue grunted, hand gliding up to briefly touch his katana.

Arcadios eyed him cautiously, then nodded, leading them out of the cave.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

They were taken straight to Mercurius.

Natsu glanced around, "Is it really okay for us to be here? I was under the impression that nobody could come in here without the King's permission…"

Arcadios nodded, "Normally, but this is a special exception. Though such caution should be expected from a former Captain of the Edolas Royal Army. It seems we are alike in both rank and mindset, Mr. Dragneel."

Natsu's eyebrow twitched, "I'm not sure I like how well informed you are about what I did in Edolas."

"It was Doranbalt. He found out a lot about us, remember?" Wendy said.

Arcadios stopped once they were inside and turned to face them, "First thing's first…I owe you all a sincere apology. The incident a few days ago where Miss Lucy was targeted, as well as the one just yesterday where Miss Yukino was abducted were my actions."

Sting bristled, "Excuse me?!"

The Knight bowed his head, "I'm sorry for my roughness. I never intended for anyone to be hurt, but at the time, we concluded that we needed a Celestial Wizard urgently. I'm assuming, Mr. Cheney, that my two men are not returning?"

Rogue glared at him, now completely on edge and standing between the man and Yukino, "Not while I've got anything against you. Give me a reason to change my mind, and we'll see."

Arcadios nodded slightly, "As expected…You live up to your reputation."

The Shadow Dragon stiffened and hissed, "Enough. What do you want?"

The Knight turned and led them further into the castle, "The Grand Magic Games is actually just camouflage for us to collect magic power from all of these mages."

Sting snorted distastefully, "So you've been stealing magic every year from the competitors? How sneaky."

Arcadios was unabashed, "You can say what you will. It was necessary for the sake of the plan. The opening of the gates that will change the world…Eclipse. In order to create it, we needed a vast amount of magical power."

He led them to a huge chamber and stopped before a massive, intricate gate with the image of a solar eclipse.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at the sight, "That's..a really big gateway…"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Gajeel grunted.

Had Arcadios not interrupted, Natsu probably would've shot back, but the Knight was firm, "When the sun and the moon intersect, you can open the gate with the Twelve Gate Keys."

_"When they open, we'll travel four hundred years back in time and assassinate Zeref before he became an immortal. That, is the Eclipse Plan."_

The Fairy Tail mages froze in shock, suddenly regarding the gate with a mixture of awe and fear.

Lucy gulped, "T-travel..through time?!"

Yukino's eyes widened, "I understand..because the Celestial World's time flows differently! That's how it works!"

Arcadios smiled, "Very sharp, as expected."

"Enough with that. Don't try to win their agreement with pretty words." Rogue growled uneasily.

Arcadios became more serious, "But of course, it's their choice. The initial plan was to use Pseudo Celestial Magic to open the gate, but with a real Celestial Mage, the plan will be completely perfect. It is an absolute necessity. The sun and moon intersect in three days on July 7th. If you'll agree, we would like to borrow your powers, Miss Lucy, Miss Yukino."

Natsu let out a slight hiss, "The seventh…"

"That's when our dragons disappeared…" Wendy murmured.

Gajeel shifted his weight from one leg to the other edgily, "That almost seems a little too convenient to be a coincidence."

"Stop right there!"

The group spun around as a large number of soldiers suddenly surrounded them.

Natsu bared his fangs not at them, but at Arcadios, "Did you plan this?! Drag us in here and ambush us?!"

But Arcadios shook his head, eyes light with honest confusion, "No, no, this is not my doing…"

"He's telling the truth, for once. It was mine."

They were confronted by a short man, one Arcadios recognized, "Minister Darton, what is the meaning of this?!"

Darton grunted, "You'll have to come in peacefully, Captain Arcadios. And that's my line..what do you think you're doing giving such highly classified information to outsiders?!"

Arcadios glared at him, "They aren't outsiders! We need them for this, you know that! Just because you're opposed to this plan doesn't mean you can just-"

Darton suddenly barked, "Of course I'm opposed to this plan! You want to change history! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is, brat?! Well?!"

The Knight was effectively silenced, but obviously racking his brains for an answer.

Lector nodded, "Yeah, if you change the past…"

"Then the present could be damaged somehow." Charle finished.

Darton tch'd, "You've made a right mess of things this time..I have no choice. Arcadios, you're hereby arrested under suspicion of treason! I'm also arresting Lucy Heartfilia and Yukino Aguria! The others will be sent away!"

Sting snarled, "Just try and touch her!"

"You bastards..you dragged us into this and now you're trying to kidnap Yukino?!" Rogue was utterly furious.

Darton glanced at the Shadow Dragon and blanched at Arcadios, "You brought this _beast into the castle?! _Are you insane?!"

Arcadios shook his head, "We've kept tabs on him..he's been clean for the past nine years-"

"He hasn't BEEN here for seven of those years! You fool!" Darton roared.

Natsu chanced a look at the Shadow Dragon. _Beast..?_

Rogue started emitting shadows, "I don't care what the hell you've been doing, but you _are not _taking Yukino!"

Now Arcadios paled, "Stop! You can't use magic here!"

Too late.

Sting and Rogue rushed the soldiers with fists cloaked in light and shadow, but then froze. The energy was suddenly sucked out of their bodies as they roared with pain and collapsed.

Lucy gasped, "Sting!"

"Rogue!" Yukino cried.

Darton seemed slightly more at ease with Rogue out of commission, "Don't you remember? This system was made to steal small amounts of magic power from the tournaments and send them to Eclipse. Using magic here results in all of it being drained away. Do not struggle. We're not enemies of mages who cannot fight."

With the Dragon Slayers effectively out of action, the soldiers surged forward and grabbed them, separating Lucy, Yukino, and Arcadios from the others despite their protests.

Darton grunted, "I will not allow the Eclipse to activate."

**/**

The Dragon Slayers were kicked out, Natsu shouldering an unconscious Sting while Gajeel held Rogue up by the collar.

Wendy and the Exceeds stood behind them, watching Darton turn away, but the old man stopped and sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry for doing this, but it's for the sake of the country. That said..I'll give you some special knowledge. The King likes Fairy Tail a great deal. If you win the Grand Magic Games, I'll grant you an audience with them. In the meantime, please know that I will now allow the girls to be harmed. I am simply keeping them out of reach of the Eclipse."

With that, he closed the door and left the stunned Dragon Slayers to process the mess that had been made.

Gajeel rubbed his forehead and swore, "Goddammit…"

"My thoughts exactly." Natsu muttered.

Wendy turned away, "There's nothing we can do right now…we should take Sting and Rogue back to the hotel and talk with the Master. He'll know what to do."

Natsu shuddered, "Assuming Erza doesn't kill us first."

**/\/\/\/\/\**

The next morning, after Sting and Rogue had a chance to recover slightly, the Dragon Slayers got Makarov along with Ur, Laxus, Erza, and Mira to discuss their predicament.

As expected, Erza was upset, "Lucy and Yukino were captured by the Imperial Army?!"

Gajeel nodded, "I don't get their logic, but apparently they were treated as accomplices to this Eclipse Plan."

Laxus crossed his arms, "So, they said if we win the tournament, we get them back?"

"That's it in a nutshell." Wendy confirmed.

Natsu tch'd, "I don't know if we should trust that. If Arcadios was shady enough to go behind the Army's back, how do we not know this Darton guy won't do the same?"

"NO ONE GIVES A SHIT!" Sting roared, tied up and forced to sit down while he snarled angrily, "We're getting Lucy out now!"

Lector sighed, "Sting, take it easy. Our opponent this time is the King."

Rogue, allowed to be free since he was somewhat less reckless, hissed, "That didn't stop us from crushing Faust."

"This isn't Edolas, Rogue. These guys use real magic. We can't just walk in and make the King our bitch." Gajeel snapped.

Ur glanced at Makarov, "Master…"

The old man sighed, "Hmm…We can't go making an enemy out of the Empire, but at the same time, they can't treat Lucy and Yukino roughly by their own laws. It's possible from what this Darton character said that they only intend to hold them prisoner until the Eclipse Plan is foregone…"

Natsu shook his head, "We don't know if he was being honest. And I don't like how they just let us go after we found out top secret information. I wouldn't have done that in Edolas."

"Well, if you think about it, you're all participants in the Grand Magic Games." Mira pointed out, "It'd be suspicious if you didn't show up on the last day."

Ur nodded, "Although if they have an army, they know of our reputation. Not even the King would want to make an enemy out of Fairy Tail. Who would want to fight two Wizard Saints?"

_Or Rogue. _Natsu thought, still curious about the unease Arcadios and Darton had shown when in his presence.

Sting tore free of the ropes keeping him down with a roar, "Enough talk! Let's go save them-gupah!"

He took one step towards the door and was immediately crushed by Makarov's giant fist, "Pipe down." The old man murmured seriously, "They got two members of our family…It's not time to celebrate. I'm sure we're all thinking the same thing."

The others in the room nodded agreement as he went on, "Considering our opponent, this time we cannot just attack them without thinking about the consequences…That said..here at Fairy Tail, we aren't cowards either…"

They were then dismissed to their own separate tasks while Makarov was left to contemplate a plan of action. It was the off day after all, though the events of the night before were firmly stuck in their minds.

**/**

Wendy was tired from the long night, so she went with Charle and Frosch to go sleep.

**/**

Sting stood on the roof of the hotel, eyes locked on Mercurius while the wind ruffled his hair and jacket. His face was scrunched in a deep frown, fists clenched tightly.

_Lucy..._

**/**

Rogue sat up on the edge of his bed, hands clasped together and under his chin while he racked his head for something, anything he could've missed that would help free his mate, but it was frustratingly useless. All he could do was breath in her faint scent that still hung in the room.

_Yukino…_

**/**

"What's up, Natsu?" Lisanna asked.

He had pulled her aside to a balcony overlooking the city, then just stared over the rooftops for several minutes.

She knew when something was bothering him- and he didn't deny it as he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "Remember last night when Gajeel pulled us aside?" At her nod, he went on, "We..well, Gajeel…discovered a graveyard underneath the arena. A dragon's graveyard…"

Lisanna's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She dared to whisper, "Was Igneel…?"

Natsu shook his head, "No, he wasn't there. Those dragons were way older. Centuries old. Wendy used one of her spells and actually managed to bring a dragon spirit back to life for a few minutes. An Emerald Dragon called Zilconis."

Lisanna was very surprised by this, but took it in stride, "What did Zilconis tell you?"

Natsu got tense, "We found out something…really disturbing…"

Seeing him so on edge made her place a caring hand on his cheek and turn him to look at her, "What's the matter? Tell me…"

Natsu frowned, "Zilconis told us about a Dragon Slayer centuries ago who killed so many dragons, they called him the Dragon King."

She searched his eyes, "So, what..?"

"Lisanna, that Dragon Slayer was Acnologia." he choked out.

Lisanna froze and her eyes became huge, _"What?!" _

Natsu glanced away uneasily, "He killed so many dragons he became one himself..Zilconis said becoming a dragon is something that happens as we use Dragon Slayer magic more and more."

It took her a few moments to process this, but she managed to collect herself, "But if that's right, then Acnologia only became a dragon because he killed so many himself. There aren't many dragons in this day and age, Natsu."

"There were in Charle's vision." he said quietly.

Lisanna took a moment to consider this, then felt her heart skip a beat.

_A crimson dragon..and a white dragon…_

Realization struck her like a blow and took her breath away, "H-hold on..you don't think…?"

Natsu bit his lip, "Do I think the dragons in Charle's vision are really me and Sting?"

The air got still and tense at the prospect he suggested, but Natsu shook his head, "I don't know. Apparently, we'd have to kill a huge amount of dragons to get that far, so I doubt it. I almost hope the crimson one is Igneel and the white one is some other dragon. What they'd be doing here and why they'd be fighting, I don't know, but…It's better than the alternative…"

He stopped talking as Lisanna hugged him tightly, her form trembling. She whispered into the material of his jacket, "You'll stay human. Just promise yourself that and you will…okay?"

Natsu could tell from her tone that it was really to make her calm down as much as him, but he held her close and squeezed her gently. His nose pressed into the silky white hair and breathed in her scent while he murmured, "I'll stay human. I promise."

Natsu could sense her relax ever so slightly, but she still managed to smile, "Thanks for being honest with me..That probably wasn't something easy to say."

"No..it wasn't…" he mumbled.

Facing the possibility of becoming a dragon had really struck a chord in Natsu, and knowing that was the fate of Acnologia, who had once been a Dragon Slayer like him, perhaps had comrades of his own, friends, and maybe even a mate like him truly frightened the Salamander to his core.

On a sudden impulse, he cupped Lisanna's cheeks and kissed her softly, holding the contact for several seconds before pulling away and staring into her deep cerulean orbs.

He brushed a strand of hair aside from her face while he murmured, "I love you."

Lisanna smiled and pressed her forehead against his, "You don't have to say that like you're not going to see me again. You're staying human…but I love you too…"

She hugged him again, sensing that their proximity eased the tension out of the disturbed Dragon Slayer.

**/**

Gajeel, who had no mate to confide in or worry over, was dealing with the problem of possibly becoming a dragon in his own way.

He'd gone straight into the bar and picked a fight with the first guy he saw, and unfortunately for Gray, he was target number one. A shove here, a well-said insult there, and both of them were at each others throats.

Gajeel wasn't satisfied though. He needed more.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elfman arm wrestling a losing battle with Bacchus, but interrupted them by slamming the big man in the back of the head with an iron pillar and crashed him into the Drunk Falcon.

Black Steel sniggered, "Oh? I didn't even see you there. And you call yourselves men!"

That sent the now very pissed off mages into a frenzy, charging at Gajeel as he threw Gray at them. Jet and Droy, always willing to throw a punch or two at the Iron Dragon, flew at him, but were immediately defeated by a powerful kick.

Then the other three angry men attacked Gajeel and sent the others in the bar leaping back as they started a screeching mess of punches and kicks.

For Levy, it wasn't just annoying because her reading had been interrupted by some very rude men. It was also bothersome because Gajeel hadn't said a word to her since he'd returned from who-knows-where.

Irritated that he had neglected to inform her of this, she finally got tired of the brawl when Elfman was thrown through the wall and slammed her book shut, standing abruptly.

Erza stared at her with surprise as the petite bluenette strode towards the fight, "Levy? What are you-"

"Solid Script: Iron!" Levy shouted.

A big, **IRON** made of steel appeared directly above the fighting mages.

Bacchus dove aside.

Gray scrambled away as well, but Gajeel just stared up with his mouth open and gagged as the "I" was lodged in his throat.

Erza's jaw dropped, "Levy!"

Gray stared at the girl with new respect and slight fear, "The hell's with you?!"

Bacchus was more interested in what was in Gajeel's mouth and fell to the ground, roaring with laughter, "Bufahahahahaha! That's KARMA bitch! You can suck it!"

The rest of the bar seemed to realize what the "I" in the Iron Dragon's mouth resembled and proceeded to _die _with laughter.

Gajeel bit the "I" in half, crunched it to pieces within seconds, then swallowed and glared at Levy, "The hell was that for?!"

Levy promptly walked up and smacked him over the head with her book, "The first one was for starting a fight! The second was for not talking to me about what happened! So come with me!"

Without another word, she grabbed his wrist and somehow managed to drag the half-stunned Gajeel out of the bar.

Gray glanced at Erza with shock, "Since when did she get so aggressive?"

Erza shrugged, "Apparently, just now."

"Oh, they make a wonderful pair, don't they?" The two looked over as Mira watched the bluenette leave with the Iron Dragon and decided not to comment on her opinion.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

"…I see…So Lucy and Yukino were taken hostage by the army?" Levy asked.

Gajeel, sitting beside her, grunted affirmative, "That about sums it up."

She had taken him out to a scrap yard in the city, knowing his tongue loosened when he had a full stomach.

When he bent down to grab a gear and chomp a piece out of it, she fidgeted nervously, "But Acnologia…I had no idea he was a Dragon Slayer at one point…"

Gajeel swallowed and sighed with satisfaction, "It kinda makes sense. Remember? Our Dragon Slayer magic didn't do shit against that bastard. Now we know why. He's not a dragon at all…"

Levy glanced at him worriedly, "Do you think we can beat him? If Dragon Slayer magic won't work…"

"Who knows? I ain't fighting that black beast anytime soon, I'll tell ya that." he retorted.

The bluenette watched him chew on a fork and spoke again, "What about you? Do you think you'll become a dragon?"

Gajeel paused and hesitated, then spat the fork out, his appetite forgotten, "Well…hell if I know, but I don't see a large number of dragons to kill in my future. If I even see Metalicana again, I'll consider myself lucky. I doubt he'll care, though..that dragon bastard doesn't give a fig about anything other than himself."

"…I care." Levy said quietly.

Again, Black Steel hesitated as he tried to regain his hunger by reaching for a tasty looking dagger, but her soft voice stopped him in his tracks and made him glance at her over his shoulder.

She stared at him, slightly red in the face, but her expression was one of concern, "I want you to stay human. Okay, Gajeel?"

He took a moment to run that request through his head and sighed, "Shrimp, I ain't got the intention of turning into a friggin' monster like Acnologia. So take a chill pill and sit back, relax, and watch me kick ass tomorrow."

Now it was Levy's turn to sigh, "That's not really what I meant..You know, I worry about you a lot. All this stuff with the dragons, the army, the Celestial mages…Call me crazy, but there's just something in there that I think we're not seeing..something important."

Gajeel considered this, then to her surprise, ruffled her hair with his hand and grinned at her, "Well, figuring stuff like this out is what you're the best at. Just don't make yourself go crazy for real trying to find the problem, Levy."

Completely stunned that he used her real name, Levy blushed furiously at the cheeky grin and honest compliment.

Then Black Steel cackled, "Gee-hee! Whatcha' all red for, shrimp?"

Now she pouted and started beating his chest with tiny fists, "Don't go calling me shrimp after saying something like that!"

Gajeel just laughed harder, amused as she tried unsuccessfully to tackle him over and ended up in a hopelessly one-sided bear hug to finish the playful fight. Levy struggled and whined in protest, "Gajeel!"

"Okay, okay, I got it." he chuckled, releasing her from his grasp. Her face was still crimson, something he noticed and smirked at, which she saw and puffed up her cheek in anger.

Unwilling to let this end with her defeat, Levy stood up and muttered, "Honestly, if you keep acting all tough like that, you'll never get a mate like the other Dragon Slayers."

Gajeel looked up at her suspiciously, "Ah?"

"You know Gajeel…" she sighed and glanced down at him, "I think it's pretty obvious how I feel. It's weird, but I can't figure you out at all..you're the one book I can't read."

He watched her cautiously and silently, then Levy turned and started walking away, "You're going to have to be the one who makes the choice of what happens next. You know something big is happening soon, so…"

"So what?" Gajeel asked.

She paused and looked at him over her shoulder with a soft expression, "It's your decision. We can face what happens as friends..or I could…"

Levy blushed and turned away, her voice smaller than she was, "…I could face it with you..as your mate…"

To which Gajeel's eyes grew wide in shock, but she quickly walked off, leaving him stunned by the sudden confession.

He thought about following her, but unable to come up with an answer on the spot made him stay where he was. Unconsciously, he picked up a piece of metal and chewed it thoughtfully. _If shit's about to hit the fan, it'd be best to wait until afterwards, but…_

Gajeel stared up at the sky, his thoughts as vast as the blue veil behind the clouds…_Is there even going to be an afterwards? The dragons..Eclipse..and now Levy..._

_Dammit, what sort of jacked up mess is this?!_

**/**

Lucy and Yukino were sitting in the jail cell, considering their current problem of being the damsels in distress.

Yukino sighed, "How did it end up this way…"

"It doesn't matter how it happened, we should think of a way to escape!" Lucy encouraged, "The first thing we need is to get our keys back."

Yukino nodded, then hesitated, "Lucy…do you..do you think Eclipse is a good idea?"

The blonde girl paused and stared at her, "Well…I can't say.."

"..I wonder..if..if Zeref never existed, would Sorano have become evil?" Yukino murmured.

Lucy remained silent as she went on, "If Zeref's followers never showed up, maybe she would be in Fairy Tail with us now."

Considering this, Lucy smiled softly, "But think about that…if Sorano was still here, would you have met Rogue?"

Yukino flinched, as if she'd just realized that fact and stammered, "Th-that is..well…you're probably right.."

"..I don't know much about who Rogue was before you met him, but…those army guys seemed to be scared of him." Lucy said slowly.

Yukino nodded, "That doesn't really shock me…Thinking about it now..if Sorano stayed, Rogue may have been the one who ended up on the dark path…But back then..he was still human enough for me to take out of the shadows…"

Lucy frowned, "Still human?"

"Lucy..it might be hard for you to understand this since you only know the good Rogue, but…he.." Yukino swallowed hard.

_"He wasn't always my kind Shadow Dragon…"_


	43. Two Fronts Strategy

**Hiro ends it, and I begin...but seriously, WTF?! Hiro..just..why...Yeah sure, I really didn't expect Sting to surrender, but that was because IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED! If anything, he should have at the very LEAST KO'd them until just one remained. *Sigh* I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a chapter...Well, we'll see if he manages to recover HIS lost glory. Sting isn't the only one who lost face, in my opinion. But that's just me ranting, and not me hating on anybody who's opinions may differ. Well, I can tell you right now that THESE games aren't ending with surrender! I'm fighting all the way, so as always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 43: Two Fronts Strategy_

"Are you sure about this, Third Master?" Mavis asked.

Makarov nodded, "In the end, there's really no other choice…"

The First Master tapped her chin thoughtfully and nodded, "If you're sure…I'll rearrange the teams then to suit your decision."

"Is removing them from the lineup too much lost firepower?" Makarov queried.

Mavis smiled, "No. It's true that without them, it'll be a little harder, but it won't affect our strategy too much. The battle for the last day..is still within our control."

With a nod, Makarov hopped of the bar and called over his shoulder, "I'll inform them of the change. I'd best contact Yajima as well. In the meantime, please readjust our strategy."

Mavis said nothing and simply closed her eyes to focus.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

"It's here! The final day of the Grand Magic Games! The last battle that gets everyone's blood pumping! Whether it ends for you in smiles or tears, the winning guild will be decided today!"

Chapati's declaration got the crowd in the Domus Flau roaring with excitement. The announcer spoke into his mic, "I'll be covering today's battle along with Mr. Yajima, and the final day's special guest, Mato!"

The pumpkin man cheered, "Everybody do your best, pumpkin!"

"The first team's coming out! Currently in eighth place, will they make a big comeback?! The hounds from hell renamed little dogs, Quatro Puppy!"

**/**

Bacchus led his crew out with a mass of cheering, "Wild!"

"FOUR!"

**/**

"Next in seventh is Blue Pegasus!"

**/**

Ichiya came out with Jenny and the Trimens, with many oohs and ahhs for the latter, while they boo'd the short, ugly man.

**/**

"Followed up in sixth by Mermaid Heel!"

**/**

Kagura walked out calmly with Milianna and the rest of her team at her side. The men in the stadium ogled over the girls, much to the disgust of the women seated with them.

**/**

"Then in fifth, Lamia Scale!"

**/**

Lyon led his team out, all the members confident looking and ready for a fight.

**/**

"Raven Tail ended yesterday in fourth! Can they retake their early lead-oh?"

**/**

The crowd paused momentarily and muttered as the usual team walked out, but Alexei's armor was dyed a deep black contrast to the gold from the previous days.

**/**

"It seems Alexei has returned with a new vibe! So serious!" Chapati exclaimed, then went on. "Currently tied for second place, will they have to surrender their throne?! Or will they reclaim their title?! It's Sabertooth!"

**/**

The cheering rose, then paused again at the sight of the mages, as they wore different attires and seemed to have changed air about them.

Minerva led her team out, with Zancrow and Rufus flanking her while Orga and Rustyrose took the back.

**/**

"Oh? They seem to be different, somehow!" Chapati surmised.

Yajima opened one eye, "Perhaps like Raven Tail, they renewed their fighting spirit?"

**/**

Zancrow didn't care about the crowd's cheers.

He stared at the ground with a fierce focus. _Meredy…Romeo…Leave it to me. I won't let you become victims. I owe you that much, at least…_

**/**

"Also tied for second, the guild said to be the strongest seven years ago! Now having returned with a vengeance, will they go all the way?! Fairy Tail A Team enters the stage!"

**/**

The cheering rose explicably, then paused and looked more closely at the people walking out. To their surprise, Ur walked out at the head, followed by Erza, Gajeel, Gray, and Juvia.

**/**

"What's this? They've changed their lineup! Ur and Gajeel have switched teams!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima interrupted, "Allow B Team to walk out before we continue to comment on that."

**/**

The next team was a shocker. Natsu strode at the front, flanked by Mirajane and Lisanna, then Laxus and Elfman.

To say the stadium was surprised would've been an understatement.

**/**

"What the- The teams have taken in their reserve members! While Lucy's absence is expected regarding her injuries, why aren't Sting and Rogue, who did so well in the Tag Battles present?!"

Yajima cleared his throat at Chapati's question, "I'll explain. As it turns out, Ur was not originally meant to be a member of B Team at all. There was another mage in Fairy Tail supposed to be in her place, but a magic deficiency virus affected her before the competition. Unfortunately, Sting and Rogue also caught this virus yesterday. I can vouch for Fairy Tail that these teams are no less powerful. The members have been switched through the teams to balance out their powers."

"That explains it! While we'll most definitely miss the White and Shadow Dragons, we should look forward to seeing the new team's coordination-Kabo!" Mato encouraged.

**/**

Darton was unsurprised. _Their magic power is still too drained…_

**/**

Orga growled, "Those brats from before aren't here?!"

Zancrow glared at him, "Shut up, Orga. We've gotta deal with those Wizard Saints. Consider yourself lucky."

Minerva nodded, "Just avoid Ur and Jura. We'll just end up losing members. I don't suggest engaging Kagura, either."

**/**

The crowd and Fairy Tail cheered despite the lineup change.

Frosch shouted, "Juvia, Gajeel, do your best in Rogue and Sting's place!"

"Elfman! Show them you're a real man!" Evergreen cheered.

Freed raised a fist, "Laxus! Show them your power!"

Happy jumped up high, "Natsu, Lisanna, good luck!"

Jet and Droy danced in unison, "Mira! Erza!"

Macao and Wakaba yelled, "Ur, Gray, freeze some ass!"

Makarov sighed, "In the end, we had no choice but to divide our forces like this…If we win, we might be able to get Lucy and Yukino back legally, that is true, but..we cannot trust their word. Our plan must cover all possibilities…"

He glanced at the First Master, "Was it okay to spread our strongest mages so thin and alter the teams as you said?"

Mavis smiled reassuringly, "It'll be fine. Ur and Gajeel are resourceful and strong- just what A Team needs in their ranks with Sting and Rogue out of commission. Juvia and Gray's magic are a good match…As for B Team, Natsu and Laxus are familiar with Mira and Lisanna's fighting style, and Elfman's as an extension of that. The Take Over team have also worked together since they were children, so they know how their siblings think. Our strategy will still be effective."

Makarov nodded, "Then all we can do now..is trust the other team moving in to save Lucy and Yukino while they battle here…"

He stared up at the sky in anticipation. _I leave them to you, brats!_

**/**

Sting, Rogue, and Wendy ran through the empty streets towards Mercurius, with Lector, Charle, and Lily flying alongside them.

The Shadow Dragon glanced over his shoulder towards the colosseum, "It seems the final match has begun…"

"Then now's our best shot!" Sting growled.

Wendy stared at him, "But how do we get in without being seen?"

Rogue grunted, "I've got that covered. Just trust me…once we get to the castle, I'll get us inside."

The White Dragon grinned, "Nice, Rogue!"

Wendy smiled, "We have to do our best to save Lucy and Yukino! Natsu and Gajeel will handle the tournament with the others!"

**/**

Chapati started again, "With the team introductions set aside…we begin the all member participation survival game..Grand Magic War Game begins! The battlefield is the entire city of Crocas! Every team is already spread out and on standby. As they wander the streets, if they meet a member from another team, they'll have to engage in a fight! When the opponent loses consciousness or the will to fight, the winning guild gets a point added. However, each team will also select a leader, who is unknown to the other teams! Defeat the leader and earn five points! That means the total points in this game available to each team is 63! Everyone still has a chance to win this tournament! The members can move separately or in groups depending on their battle strategies! These are the current teams!"

**/**

**1st. Fairy Tail B (52pt.)- Laxus, Natsu, Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna**

**2nd. Fairy Tail A (49pt.)- Ur, Gajeel, Erza, Gray, Juvia**

**2nd. Sabertooth (49pt.)- Minerva, Zancrow, Orga, Rufus, Rustyrose**

**4th. Raven Tail (47pt.)- Alexei, Nullpudding, Flare, Kurohebi, Obra**

**5th. Lamia Scale (35pt.)- Jura, Lyon, Chelia, Toby, Yuuka**

**6th. Mermaid Heel (28pt.)- Kagura, Milianna, Risley, Arania, Beth**

**7th. Blue Pegasus (27pt.)- Ichiya, Hibiki, Ren, Eve, Jenny**

**8th. Quatro Puppy (12pt.)- Bacchus, Rocker, Yeager, Seamus, Novally**

**/**

"Is that clear? Victory is our only option. We must save Lucy and Yukino." Ur said quietly.

Gajeel nodded, "If Rogue and the others got them out, of course that'd be best."

**/**

"…But we've got another manly reason for winning this!" Elfman grunted.

Laxus smirked, "Yeah. For those in our guild who suffered for the past seven years…"

Natsu grinned, "We ain't losing here!"

**/**

"Who's going to take the glory?! Grand Magic War Game…START!"

The crowd roared louder than ever as the bell gonged.

Chapati spoke again, "It's finally started. The last battle…"

Yajima nodded, "As expected, most of the members have gone their separate ways."

"Do your best-Kabo!" Mato cheered.

A lacrima vision captured Zancrow and Minerva striding off in different directions.

"Sabertooth's members are all powerful, so of course they've split up!"

The next image was of Jura, then Alexei.

"Lamia Scale and Raven Tail apparently think the same!"

Toby and Yuuka, then the Trimens appeared next on the screen.

"Some are fighting in pairs, others in groups of twos or threes!"

**/**

Rufus paused as he walked through the streets, sensing something unusual.

Orga was on a rooftop nearby and noticed his comrade's behavior, "What's up, Rufus?"

"…They aren't moving…" he murmured, affirming what he could sense.

**/**

"Wait-what's this?!" Chapati exclaimed.

The crowd stared in surprise as two images appeared on the lacrima vision of Fairy Tail A and B Team, who stood side by side with each other, but remained in their starting place.

"Fairy Tail..all their members have their eyes closed and aren't moving an inch!"

**/**

Makarov shouted, "What the hell are you guys doing?!"

Levy fidgeted, "Wh-what's going on?"

"I don't know…" Cana said uneasily.

Max yelled, "Hey! The first to move wins, you guys!"

Jet also urged the still members, "Hurry up and move it!"

Mavis was the only one who appeared calm, hardly seeming to care about the lack of activity.

**/**

"Well..whilst the bizarre status of the Fairy Tail teams is bothersome…one team has already met the other!"

**/**

The screen changed to an image of Toby and Yuuka meeting Novally in the streets. Yuuka hit the man with his spell, "I'll seal your magic!"

Toby ran up and slashed at Novally, who hit the ground with a curse, "Damn, it's two people!"

**/**

**5th. Lamia Scale: 35+1=36**

**/**

The next match showed the Trimens ambushing Beth and Arania with their Air, Snow, and Archive spells. Hibiki sighed, "Too bad our opponents are girls."

**/**

**7th-6th. Blue Pegasus: 27+2=29**

**/**

"The points are changing! Blue Pegasus overtook Mermaid Heel for points! But hold on!"

**/**

Toby and Yuuka ran through the streets and sighted Milianna.

The doggish man grinned, "Let's get her, two on one!"

Yuuka nodded, "Right- GRAH!"

They were suddenly ambushed by Kagura, who slashed the two Lamia Scale mages and defeated them quickly.

**/**

**7th-6th. Mermaid Heel: 28+2=30**

**/**

"Kagura is here! Mermaid Heel takes back sixth place! The ranks just keep getting changed around! Yet Fairy Tail still hasn't moved!"

It was true. Both teams remained stock still, the only exception being when Natsu and Lisanna reached and silently held hands, but remained motionless otherwise.

**/**

Macao shouted, "Natsu! Gajeel! Go kick ass!"

"Hurry and defeat them!" Wakaba added.

**/**

"While Fairy Tail hasn't moved, Milianna just incapacitated Rocker!"

**/**

The cat girl purred with satisfaction as the Quatro Puppy mage was rendered helpless by a sneak attack.

**/**

**6th. Mermaid Heel: 30+1=31**

**/**

"Keep your eyes on those moving numbers! But Fairy Tail is STILL motionless!"

**/**

The stadium was starting to get really weirded out by the ten unmoving mages on screen.

Makarov roared, "What in the blazes is this?! We said we'd get Lucy and Yukino back, didn't we?!"

"That is precisely why..we must remain calm." Mavis said softly.

The guild stared at the First Master as she spoke calmly, "These past four days, I have analyzed the enemies' magical power, psychology, and movement patterns…with that in mind, I carried out countless simulations."

Romeo's eyes widened, "First, what..?"

The spirit smiled, "I have predicted the movements of the enemies and the results of their battles..everything so far is according to my calculations…"

Fairy Tail froze with wide eyes as Mavis stood up, then realized the ten members on the lacrima vision had opened their eyes.

The First Master stared at them confidently, "I already told them the plan. Leading my comrades to victory without fail…is _my _fight…"

She pointed at the A Team and B Team on screen and shouted, "Fairy Tail Star Strategy, begin!"

**/**

And with that, all ten members from A Team and B Team rushed off with a shout, "Let's go!"

**/**

"Fairy Tail moved! They've finally entered the Grand Magic War Game!"

The crowds cheering redoubled at the sight of the ten mages racing into the fray.

**/**

The guards at the front of Mercurius stood still, having been ordered to not interfere should the clashing mages of the tournament approach them.

One of the older ones shivered and glanced at his partner, "Hey, does something feel…off to you?"

The other soldier shrugged, "I haven't noticed anything."

"Huh..maybe it's just my imagination, but I could of sworn…" the older one sighed, "I must be getting old."

**/**

Rogue slipped past the guards and into the castle from the shadows, having Sting, Wendy, and the exceeds all in his grasp.

Sting muttered in the darkness, his voice warped and echoing, "This feels so weird…"

"Shut up and let me concentrate." Rogue hissed.

Wendy's voice trembled, "Uhh..are we still in our bodies? Or are we all shadows?"

Charle murmured quietly, "Wendy, let Rogue concentrate."

The girl gasped, "Oh! Sorry!"

_…I won't bother saying anything._ The Shadow Dragon thought in exasperation.

Lily grunted, "Still..how long can you hold this form? It must be tough with the five of us in tow…"

Rogue sighed, "If everyone lets me focus, I think I can get us to the dungeons. That's where Lucy and Yukino should be. And their scent is…that way."

He shifted the direction of the shadows down a staircase, leading them closer to the kidnapped Celestial mages.

**/**

A soldier walked up behind a young woman on a high level in the castle, "Princess Hisui, this is probably our best chance…"

Hisui turned with a smile, "It would appear so. Shall we begin the Eclipse 2 plan, then?"


	44. Fairy Tactician

**Okay, here we go! This chapter is shorter since it's basically just everyone taking out the fodder from the other guilds, but next chapter starts the more intense fighting! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 44: Fairy Tactician_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail B- 52pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**2nd. Fairy Tail A- 49pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**2nd. Sabertooth- 49pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 36pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

"Fairy Tail's on the move! Both A Team and B Team have entered the fray!"

The spectators in the colosseum cheered excitedly, thrilled that the weird behavior of the guild was just temporary.

**/**

Mavis waved her arm, "Spread out accordingly! Move to the designated targets!"

Her guild just watched her, utterly stunned at her actions.

The First Master murmured softly, "At this point, there is a 97% chance that Rufus will take action."

**/**

Sure enough, on the screen, Rufus noticed Fairy Tail's movement and smirked, "I see you…I really can't allow you to look down on my wonderful powers. Let's clean you all up at once, shall we? Memory Make…Starfall Night!"

Ten rays of light erupted from his body and shot into the sky, then dove down towards the Fairy Tail mages.

**/**

"Oh! This magic is-!"

Yajima nodded at Chapati, "The same spell that decimated the competition on day one."

Mato gasped with excitement, "So pretty-kabo!"

**/**

Mavis was expressionless, "If action is taken within two seconds of identifying it in the sky, it can be dodged. This spell is also lightning based, so Laxus and Natsu can use it to bolster their own power."

Levy gasped, "That's why it went after Gajeel when he thought he dodged it on day one! It followed his iron like a lightning rod!"

Cana was amazed, "You're right…"

**/**

As if on cue, all the Fairy Tail mages quickly leaped aside to dodge, effectively avoiding all the bolts that rained down on them.

**/**

Laxus simply raised his arm and absorbed the attack as it crashed into him.

**/**

Natsu, who was moving with Lisanna, managed to grab both rays targeting them out of midair with incredible reflexes and devoured the lightning with a smirk, "Thanks for the meal, sucker!"

**/**

Rufus was stunned by what he detected, "What?! They..they intercepted it?!"

**/**

Mavis continued speaking calmly, "The enemy will be shaken, and his thought process disturbed. At this point, the now confused Rufus has a 68% chance of approaching us. There is also a 32% chance he will remain on standby, but in any case, it doesn't affect our plans."

Max stared at her, "What is she talking about?"

Freed raised an eyebrow, "It would appear her strategy has covered every move of the enemy…"

"The Fairy Star Strategy, huh…" Levy murmured.

Cana smirked, "All I get is that it lets us win! So what's next, First?!"

Mavis was quiet, then spoke softly, "If my calculations are right..Jura will first confront Bacchus…"

Bixlow glanced at the ghost, "So, what happens?"

**/**

At her word, Bacchus came face to face with the Lamia Scale ace in the streets.

He grinned nervously, "Well, well…fancy meeting you here…"

Jura nodded with a smile, "It would appear I've found a heavyweight…"

Bacchus popped the cork on his gourd and drank every drop of alcohol before taking a deep breath and staring at the Wizard Saint, "Oh well, what the hell, here I come!"

He shot forward with incredible speed, but Jura blocked his first palm strike with ease, then hit the Drunk Falcon with a downward chop on his head.

Bacchus was crushed into the street from the force, immediately knocked unconscious.

**/**

"O-o-one hit! Jura defeated Bacchus with one hit! Quatro Puppy's leader has been knocked out!"

**/**

**5th. Lamia Scale: 36+5=41**

**/**

"…That happens…" Evergreen managed.

Bixlow's jaw dropped, "Holy crap…"

Levy gulped, "That guy's so strong…First, what do we do about him?"

Mavis said nothing for a moment, then, "I have a strategy in mind..but several other tasks will have to be completed first."

**/**

Oobaba cackled at the Lamia Scale area, "Hahaha! As long as Jura's active, no one stands a chance!"

Sherry sighed, "Master, don't forget..he's not the only Wizard Saint in this competition…"

**/**

Sherry's words might have jinxed it, but seconds later, the screen revealed Ur meeting Ichiya.

She smirked at the Blue Pegasus ace, "Hello there. Just like the First Master said…"

"Men! Wonderful perfume!" Ichiya made the mistake of moving close to sniff her, and ended up letting her step forward and tap his forehead with her index finger.

He was immediately frozen solid, chattering inside his ice block, "C-c-c-c-cold p-p-perfume!"

Ur winked, "Sayonara."

She flicked his forehead with her middle finger and sent the frozen man flying away, "MEEEEEEN!"

**/**

"A-again, just one hit! Ur has made Fairy Tail's first score! Blue Pegasus's leader is out for the count!"

Yajima sweated, "Can that even be considered a hit...?"

**/**

**2nd-1st. Fairy Tail A: 49+5=54**

**/**

"Yeah! That's the way!"

The guild cheered, but Mavis smiled, "Don't get too excited. That's just the beginning- Now Elfman will meet Yeager and Seamus…"

Evergreen glanced at her, "He's facing two?"

**/**

Elfman confronted the two likewise large on the bridge.

Yeager shouted, "Two on one, let's get him!"

"Wild!" Seamus yelled.

The Take Over mage grinned, "Come on!"

The two mages lunged at him, yelling at the top of their lungs while Elfman's body glowed, "Take Over: Beast Soul!"

He shot forward in the form of a spotted man-cat and clotheslined the two Quatro Puppy mages, "Weretiger!"

As Yeager stood up, he punched the ground, "Spiking Plant!"

"I know that trick!" Elfman shouted, then glowed again.

When the spiky plant burst from the ground, he blocked it easily with an arm covered in spiky green scales and a fierce grin, "Beast Soul: Lizardman!"

Seamus ran towards him with a spiral, "Wild Spin!" The attack made contact, but Seamus immediately recoiled with a cry, "Ouch!"

Elfman raised a scaly fist, "These spikes hurt opponents who use physical attacks! Take this!" He smashed Seamus in the jaw with a heavy uppercut.

Yeager ran at him with a yell, "Bastard!"

_"Beast Soul: Beast King!"_

Elfman roared, turning into a giant, horned beast that towered over the Quatro Puppy mage, who cowered at the sight, "Oh, shit…"

"MAN!" Elfman bellowed and crushed Yeager with a punch, at the same time destroying the bridge. His poor opponent was out cold.

**/**

"A-awesome! Elfman! What raw strength! He beat down both Seamus and Yeager without breaking a sweat!"

"So cool-Kabo!" Mato declared.

**/**

**2nd-1st. Fairy Tail B: 52+2=54**

**/**

"Now both Fairy Tail teams are tied for first place!" Chapati declared.

The crowd was cheering at their consecutive victories, but the streak had yet to end.

**/**

Mavis smiled, "Now Erza will proceed northwest and discover Jenny…"

**/**

"Just like the First Master described…what a terrifying person." Erza murmured.

Jenny froze and whimpered, "Geh, Erza?!"

Titania shot forward and slashed once, easily defeating her. Jenny went flying with a shriek, "Kyaaa!"

**/**

**1st. Fairy Tail A: 54+1=55**

**/**

"…While Mira will obliterate the Trimens to the south, though Hibiki will escape her…" Mavis continued.

**/**

Mira's Satan Soul made short work of Ren and Eve, dispatching them with a swift punch and a mischievous smile, "Sorry, boys."

Ren shouted in desperation, "Hibiki, get away!"

The last Pegasus mage ran off in confusion, "There's someone in Fairy Tail whose calculations exceed that of my Archive?!"

"Apparently so."

Gray was suddenly there with a grin.

Hibiki bristled, but it was too late, as Gray froze him instantly.

**/**

"…and Gray will finish the job." the spirit finished with satisfaction.

**/**

**2nd-1st. Fairy Tail B: 54+2=56**

**2nd-1st. Fairy Tail A: 55+1=56**

**/**

The spectators and guild were ecstatic.

"What a turn of events! Both Fairy Tail teams are gaining a huge lead on the competition! What's going on?!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima smiled, "It appears their strategy is quite effective..they decimated Blue Pegasus and the remains of Quatro Puppy inside a few short minutes…"

**/**

Vijeeter shouted, "Hell yeah!"

"The First's predictions are spot on!" Nab cheered.

Happy high-fived Frosch, "Yay!"

Mavis continued speaking calmly, describing every move of their teams, "Juvia will stay as support and scout for enemies. Laxus and Ur will both maintain their course. Gray will head west to confront the enemy. Natsu and Lisanna will stay together until they arrive at the park. They should find enemy activity there, then they'll split up. Meanwhile, Gajeel will patrol the riverside- the enemy will head there for certain and he will intercept. Elfman heads towards the center of the city, while Erza and Mira will head south in a V formation and comb the area for more opponents."

Makarov eyes got wider with every thing she said until they almost bulged out of his head, "I-I remember now..the First's nickname..with her extraordinary strategic mind, she piled victory upon victory…The Fairy Strategist, Mavis!"

Macao sighed, "So she was actually useful?"

"Not just a cute kid, then." Wakaba muttered.

Alzack shook his head at them, "Well, she did _create _Fairy Tail…"

Happy turned to the ghost excitedly, "C'mon, First! Who eats the dust next?!"

Mavis was quiet, then murmured, "Orga will strike down Flare…"

**/**

"Lightning God's Bellow!" Orga shouted, engulfing Flare with a massive amount of black lightning. The Raven Tail mage screamed, but was rendered incapable of continuing and hit the ground unconscious.

**/**

**3rd. Sabertooth: 49+1=50**

**/**

"…While Chelia will obliterate Risley." Mavis went on.

**/**

Chelia flashed by Risley and delivered a kick with her black wind, "Sorry."

"Don't look down on Mermaid!" Risley cried, but it was too late.

**/**

**5th. Lamia Scale: 41+1=42**

**/**

The guild was extremely ecstatic by the correct results, but Mavis took a quick breath, "From here on, all the battles will be very difficult…This first wave was simply to take out the weaker opponents and amass the points from our victories. Now, it gets tricky."

Happy still cheered, "There's no way those guys will lose!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

**/**

Lucy and Yukino were just sitting in their cell, trying to think of some way to escape, but not having much luck.

"Lucy."

At first she thought she imagined the voice, but then it was back again, "Lucy!"

She glanced up and was startled to see Sting, Rogue, and Wendy there with Lector, Charle, and Lily.

Yukino gasped, "Y-you guys-! How?!"

"Never mind how, we're getting you out of here. Please lower your voice." Rogue murmured.

Yukino clapped her hands over her mouth in realization, speaking in a more hushed tone, "Ah! Sorry!"

Rogue smiled, happy to see her okay, but unsheathed his katana, "Stand back."

The girls backed away as he sliced easily through the bars twice, with the exceed catching the falling metal before they could clatter to the ground and alerted the guards.

Once the girls were out, Charle glanced at Lily, "Now how to get out…?"

The black exceed nodded, "Rogue can't take so many into the shadows..and multiple trips are probably not a good idea, either."

Lucy shook her head, "Before that, we need to retrieve our keys! But we have to find them first..!"

Suddenly, the floor opened up beneath their feet over a pit. They all hung frozen in midair for a second.

Lector bristled, "Wh-what the-!"

"Dammit!" Sting hissed.

Wendy gasped, "What's this?!"

Rogue tch'd, "A trapdoor?!"

With yells of panic, they all fell straight down and hit the ground hard in an underground cave.

Sting scratched his head as he helped Lucy to her feet and looked around, "Where are we, now?"

A voice made them all tense, _"Welcome to the Pitfall Palace. You've all fallen into my trap."_

Lily's eyes widened, "A trap?"

"We were found out?!" Charle exclaimed disbelievingly.

The voice went on, _"Please look around you. This Pitfall Palace is the capital of death."_

Sure enough, they could see grisly remains of many skeletons lying all over the place.

The voice chuckled slightly, _"This is the last stretch of freedom for criminals, though no one has ever made it out alive."_

An image of a girl with soldiers behind her stared down at the trapped mages, _"Just rot there, you thieves."_

Sting bared his fangs, "Who are you?!"

Yukino gulped, "If I'm not mistaken, I think that's the princess of the empire…"

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "A princess? Are you sure?"

Wendy pointed up from where they'd fallen, "Never mind that! The exit's closed off!"

"Shit, how do we get out now?!" Sting growled.

Lucy sighed, "We'll just have to go through it…"

**/**

The soldiers clapped at their princesses success, "Well done, your highness! Even without his majesty, you've guarded the castle well! Viva Lady Hisui! Viva Lady Hisui!"

They cheered, but the girl's expression was solemn.

**/**

In the streets, Gray paused as he saw the figure he sought, "There you are. I was told by the First Master that I'd find you here…"

The short figure sniggered, "Well, hey there, fairy. I wanted Gajeel, but…"

Nullpudding cracked his knuckles with a delighted grin, "You'll do just fine as a warm up…"

Gray stared down the Raven Tail mage with contempt, "Don't get overexcited. I'm getting payback for Gajeel and Rogue, you chinny bastard."


	45. Gray vs Nullpudding

**Wow! The Rising Dragon Champions now has the same number of chapters as the Lost Dragon Slayer! But it's going to be much longer, still! Next chapter has a little history on why Rogue is so feared! But this one is all about the fight, so enjoy and thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Please review! I really enjoy hearing from you guys and getting feedback on how I'm doing!**

_Chapter 45: Gray vs Nullpudding_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 50pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=3**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Fairy Tail watched the lacrima screen as Gray confronted Nullpudding.

Cana grinned, "He's got this! If Laxus could one shot him, that runt doesn't stand a chance!"

"Is that right, First?" Levy asked.

Mavis was quiet, "I have faith he can handle it, but Nullpudding must be eliminated here. From what I know, he's the only Sensory Type mage in Raven Tail's arsenal. He and Rufus must be defeated first before we can safely pinpoint the other mages in those guilds..or this strategy will be for nought."

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"What's up? That chinny guy and the masquerade bastard have tabs on everyone's location?" Gajeel asked from the table. _

_Mavis nodded, "Precisely." _

_Erza tapped her chin thoughtfully, "So in other words, Rufus and Nullpudding have to be defeated early on to avoid damaging the strategy…" _

_"It'd be best to divide this between the teams." Mira pointed out. _

_Gajeel growled, "Ah?! I owe both of those assholes an ass kicking! I'll take em'!" _

_Mavis shook her head, "No, not this time. Your target is Rufus. Over the past few days, I've analyzed that your magic is one of the least known to him, and one of the few in our arsenal he can't memorize and use against us. Gray will handle Nullpudding for A Team." _

_Gray nodded, "I got him. I'll make that bastard squeal like the pig he is."_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Gray and Nullpudding sized each other up, then got in battle stances.

Gray glared at his opponent, "Here I come, you chinny bastard!"

Nullpudding sniggered as spikes appeared all over his body.

Placing a fist on his open palm, Gray shouted as he fired off missiles of ice, "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!"

Nullpudding leaped away from the ice, smacking the ones that he couldn't dodge out of the air with his spiked fists.

Gray tch'd and brought his hands up, then swung down, "Ice Hammer!"

Nullpudding again leaped aside, then rushed him with a fist raised, "Too easy, Gray!"

The Fairy Tail mage ducked and dodged the first punch, but couldn't avoid the surprise kick that caught him in the jaw.

As he staggered back, Nullpudding pointed his fists at him and fired off a rain of needles, "Spike Cannon!"

Gray yelled in pain as the spikes dug into his skin, but he fought the pain and quickly retaliated, "Ice Geyser!"

Now Nullpudding grunted as he was sent flying from the icy mass that smashed into him. Gray pulled a few spikes still lodged in his skin out with gasps, but kept his composure while the Raven Tail mage recovered from the counterattack.

**/**

"It's a heated fight, but it's not over yet! Both mages are steadily taking damage!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima spoke lowly, "Though it appears at the moment that Gray is in a bad spot…"

"They're both strong-Kabo!" Mato cheered.

**/**

Happy shouted, "Gray! You can't lose to these guys!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch called.

Cana bit her lip, "Damn, I didn't think about the spikes…First Master, can Gray really handle this guy?"

Mavis said nothing, watching the battle closely. _Sometimes..emotion can overcome calculations. Please show me the power of your emotions._

**/**

Gray tossed the last spike out and watched Nullpudding prepare himself for another attack, puffing up with spikes.

The Ice mage smirked, "You look like a fish out of water."

"If you've got time to talk, you'd best spend it defending!" Nullpudding cried, lunging forward and swinging his fist at Gray's head. He ducked, then leaned back to dodge the kick he knew was coming from the attack earlier, then created a cannon made of ice at point-blank range.

The Raven Tail mage's eyes widened as Gray smirked, "You're wide open! Ice Cannon!"

Nullpudding was blasted from the burst of ice and smashed into a building.

**/**

The crowd cheered excitedly. "He did it!" "Fairy Tail's done it again!" "So strong!" "Raven Tail's done for!"

Still smirking, Gray turned away, "Too little, too late, little raven. You weren't fast enough."

"Is that so?"

Gray's eyes widened in shock and he spun around, but cried out as Nullpudding bashed him in the chest with a spiked fist and sent him crashing into a brick wall.

The Ice mage sat up, pressing his cut chest with a hand while he got his breath back and stared at his opponent. To his shock, not only did Nullpudding look relatively unharmed, but his spikes were even longer and edged with ice-his ice, he realized.

Nullpudding cackled, "Such an easy mark!"

**/**

Freed gaped in surprise, "That guy..! He used Gray's ice to make his spikes sharper?!"

Mavis's eyes narrowed, "This is the complication of only seeing Nullpudding in action twice before…It's difficult to assess every ability he has in his arsenal."

"Gray took a heavy hit..can he still win this?" Levy gasped.

**/**

Gray struggled to his feet and froze his wounds with a light covering of ice to staunch the bleeding, then glared at the Raven Tail mage, "Dirty trick. Should've expected that."

"Indeed." Nullpudding sniggered.

**/**

Mavis watched the screens closely, "At this point, there should also be…"

**/**

Juvia walked down under an arch in the streets, then froze at a voice, "Sky God's…"

Quickly, she leaped back as a mass of black wind swept by where she'd stood just moments ago. Chelia dove down from the arch with a cry, "Boreas!"

Juvia skidded back and faced the younger girl as she hovered in midair, supported by her black wind. _Just as the First predicted! _

Chelia shouted a challenge, "You're the one Leon is in love with?!"

Juvia stuttered, "Juvia didn't ask to be loved by him!"

Black wind gathered at the girl's fingertips as she yelled, "Well then disappear!" Juvia gritted her teeth and braced herself as the Sky God Slayer's attack hit its mark.

**/**

Macao glanced at Mavis, "Is that okay for Juvia to fight her? Chelia can heal her own wounds, after all…"

Mavis smiled, "Just keeping her occupied for now will do the trick. This is the interference Gray needs to avoid getting ambushed by that girl while he polishes off Nullpudding."

Wakaba sighed, "You're enjoying yourself too much, but isn't Gray in a rough spot right now?"

**/**

Gray held both hands out with a shout, "Super Freeze Arrow!"

"Needle Blast!" Nullpudding countered, meeting the sharp arrows of ice with needles before shooting forward and connected with Gray's jaw as he landed another punch.

Gray spat blood and retaliated by first kicking the shorter man in the face, then returned the uppercut to Nullpudding's jaw. The Raven Tail mage recoiled, but then to his opponent's surprise, curled into a ball.

Gray blinked in confusion. _The hell? Is he..surrendering-?! _

"Spike Boulder!" Nullpudding grunted, spinning on the ground, then accelerating towards the Fairy Tail mage.

Gray jumped past the first, but Nullpudding actually jumped up in his spherical stance and came down hard on his enemy's back, crushing him into the ground.

The Ice mage howled as his opponent spun as he landed, slashing deep into his back. Nullpudding kept going, using the ice on his spikes to increase the damage he did while Gray was pinned down.

**/**

"Brutal! This is brutal! Nullpudding is doing serious damage to the immobilized Gray!" Chapati exclaimed.

**/**

"Gray!" Romeo shouted in alarm.

Freed bit his lip, "Damn, he can't attack or defend in that position..is that it?"

Mavis said nothing, just continued to watch calmly.

**/**

Nullpudding finally leaped off of his prey and landed in the streets, sniggering at the bloodied and beaten down Gray, "Well, that was fun. If you don't mind little fairy, I think I'll go play with Gajeel now."

He turned away, but Gray struggled to his feet with a gasp from the massive pain in his back, "Hold it right there, you little shit…"

Nullpudding paused and turned, still smirking, "You can still stand? Shouldn't have let me know that, Gray. Should've gone for a sneak attack like I would."

Gray laughed, but there was no humor in it. He then threw his tattered shirt aside, "Well..I wonder…"

**/**

"He stripped!" Chapati stammered.

**/**

"He stripped!" the crowd shrieked.

**/**

Juvia, still fighting Chelia, glanced at a lacrima screen showing Gray's battle and blushed as his shirt came off, "Oh, Gray…"

**/**

Gray spat another glob of red and glared at Nullpudding, "I don't need to skulk around and backstab like you do to win. I'll take it like a man and still kick your ass!"

Nullpudding grinned, frozen spikes puffing up again, "Interesting! I'll take you up on that! Spike Boulder!"

He rolled up and shot forward in a spin, but Gray suddenly dropped to one knee as the Raven Tail mage came at him.

**/**

Happy bristled as Gray fell, "Gray! Stand up! Stand up!"

"If you eat that attack, it's all over!" Romeo shouted.

Mavis was expressionless as the tension in the stadium rose drastically.

**/**

Nullpudding could sense as he approached that Gray wasn't moving to dodge. _Too bad, little fairy. It's my victory! _

But Gray was smiling as his hands touched the ground, "Ice Make: Floor!"

Nullpudding kept rolling straight into the frozen ground, then stopped dead as the ice from his spikes came into contact with the ice Gray created. _?! He connected the separate spikes of ice to the earth?! _

"Remember this, you chinny bastard…Even if you take my ice and use it against me…"

Gray crossed his arms over his chest and created two huge blades of ice as he glared at the immobilized Raven Tail mage, "It's still _my _ice!"

Nullpudding strained and managed to break free, but he slipped as he stood up, leaving himself wide open as Gray shot forward and slashed in an X formation, "Ice Bringer!"

Nullpudding shrieked as he was cut, but his pain was not over yet as Gray spun around and spat, "That was for having the nerve to use my own magic against me! This is for giving Gajeel and Rogue hell on day one!"

He brought his fist up high and slammed it down on his palm, "Ice Impact!"

Nullpudding looked up, but didn't even register the huge hammer of ice before it crashed down on him and obliterated the street, leaving a massive crater.

**/**

Gajeel watched the lacrima screen from the riverside as Nullpudding got crushed and grinned, "Gee-hee!"

**/**

The ice hammer shattered like glass and revealed Nullpudding, crushed, bleeding, and most certainly unconscious as he drooled like an idiot on destroyed street.

Gray stared down at him and smirked, "That's how you fight like a man. I don't do sneaky shit, little raven."

His opponents only response was a miserable groan of pain.

**/**

**1st. Fairy Tail A: 56+1=57**

**/**

"He's done it! Despite a tough battle, Gray overwhelms Nullpudding! Raven Tail has lost their second member in the games!"

The crowd cheered wildly at the Fairy Tail mage's victory.

**/**

Happy and Frosch high fived excitedly, "Yay!"

Cana sighed and grinned, "He pulled it off after all, eh?"

"That's how we do it! We're so far ahead!" Romeo cheered.

Mavis smiled, "That was splendid."

**/**

Juvia swooned as she saw Gray win, much to the confusion of Chelia, who couldn't believe her opponent had stopped fighting to watch another match.

**/**

Ur also noticed Gray's victory from a nearby lacrima screen and nodded, "Well done, Gray."

**/**

Alexei noted Nullpudding's defeat, but thought nothing of it.

**/**

In the Pitfall Palace, Lector and Charle flew back down from the roof of the cave shaking their heads at the group below, "It's completely closed off. There's not an exit…"

Sting tch'd, "And after we dragged our asses so far…"

Rogue sighed, "What a disgrace..the hunters became the hunted…"

Crossing his arms, Lily muttered quietly, "If I knew this would happen, I'd have brought a map…"

Lucy glanced at Sting, "Hey, what happened with you guys and the tournament."

"The teams got rearranged, so Ur and Gajeel went in our place." he explained.

Lector nodded with a smirk, "You should've heard him, he was all, 'We have to save Lucy!'"

Sting rolled his eyes at the exceed, but Lucy was already smiling and going red, "Stop..you're making me blush…"

The corners of Yukino's mouth went up in a little smile as she raised an eyebrow at Rogue, "I'm guessing he wasn't too quiet about it either?"

Wendy giggled, "By his standards, no."

"That's besides the point." Rogue muttered, turning away to preserve his dignity, though he was already slightly red.

Charle, who was scouting around, suddenly gestured wildly, "Over here! There's a passage!"

Lector grinned, "Nice, Charle!"

The passage, as it turned out, was a very narrow crevice that required slowly easing through.

Lucy squeezed past a rock with a gasp, "Narrow…"

"Just a little more…" Sting grunted.

Wendy made it out to the other side first, but then froze when she saw a figure lying on the ground and recognized it, "Th-that's Arcadios!"

The others got through the passage and stared at the knight, who was battered and bleeding from serious injuries.

Rogue frowned, "Was he thrown here too..?"

Charle's eyes were locked onto the motionless figure. _The White Knight! _

Sting dropped down and shook the man awake, "Oi, get a hold of yourself!"

Arcadios coughed and blinked one eye open, "Ughh..run.."

The group stared uncomprehendingly, but then they felt a presence behind them and heard a deep voice, _"Bang."_

A huge fist punched the ground and sent liquid everywhere, forcing them to leap aside and dodge. Sting quickly picked up Arcadios and jumped, managing to save the injured knight before spinning around to face the enemy.

The liquid sizzled and melted the ground. Lily gritted his teeth, "Acid?!"

A second figure appeared waving his arms and chanting, "Big, big, big!" He got in Wendy's face and leaned sideways, "Big?"

Wendy shrieked and backed up, but then the man pulled a flag from the ground on a pole and shouted, "Biiiig catch!"

The group yelled in panic as they started hovering in midair, then crashed down.

Sting glared at the newcomer, "Another one…"

Suddenly, a plant started growing from the earth and sprouted a huge flower, which a girl stepped out of.

Lector bristled, "Another one showed up!"

A mass of small pieces of paper flew in from all directions and came together, forming another woman amongst the attackers.

Rogue snarled, "Great, there's even more…"

Arcadios gasped from the ground, staring at the enemies, "They're an independent unit that supports the kingdom from the shadows…the Garou Knights…the kingdom's strongest executioners..."

A fifth person, a hooded man with two scythes on his back walked up in the back of the enemies and spoke ominously, "Garou Knights mission 1500, commence."

The Fairy Tail mages glared at them while Arcadios coughed, "Their presence..is why escaping Pitfall Palace is impossible…"

The apparent leader in the back observed his prey fiercely, "By way of the special decree vested in us, we, Fiore's independent squad, the Garou Knights, hereby sentence these criminals to death…"


	46. Red Shadow

**Alright, big chapter here! This one's got several answers to questions I left open earlier, so I hope you enjoy the surprise I put in! The next chapter will resume the Grand Magic War Game!**

_Chapter 46: Red Shadow_

Sting's initial reaction to the Garou Knights?

He laughed hysterically, "Gahahahahaha!"

Lucy glanced at him, "This isn't a good time to be laughing!"

"But look at them! What part of these guys resembles knights?! Especially that guy!" he pointed at the man with the flag who answered him by saying, "Big."

Arcadios muttered nervously, "Don't let their appearances fool you..their magic has the sole purpose of killing efficiently…"

Sting shrugged, "Works for me. Well, this looks like our ticket outta this dump!"

Rogue nodded, eyes dark, "Once we defeat them, they can tell us the exit."

"Yeah! Lucy, Yukino, stay back since you don't have your keys!" Wendy said, getting ready for battle.

Lily swelled into his battle form and grunted, "Lector, Charle, get behind me."

The other exceed nodded and retreated back with Lucy and Yukino.

Arcadios paled, "You guys are..are going to fight them..?"

The leader of the Garou Knights glared at them, "You dare to confront the Garou Knights..? Such insolence. I shall return you to the earth beneath the Fiore Empire."

The second woman got a piece of red paper in her fingers and leaned forward, "Giddy up, Cosmos."

The plant girl nodded, "Time to dance, Kamika..."

Kamika blew the paper out and suddenly a mass of the same red paper flew at the group, "Paper Blizzard: Crimson Dance!" The mages braced themselves as the fastest pieces hit them and burned.

Sting hissed from pain, "Heat?!"

Kamika smirked, "This crimson paper is the god of flames…"

Wendy took a deep breath and shouted, "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The tornado of air dispersed and shredded the paper, preventing the entire mass from hitting the group.

Charle gave her a thumbs-up, "Nice, Wendy!"

Cosmos smiled, "Beautiful…A doll than dances beautifully…this is the skeletal flower that blooms in blood…"

Wendy froze as a plant suddenly sprouted around her and enclosed with sharp teeth ready to impale.

Lector bristled, "Wendy!"

But then Rogue was there, slashing the plant to ribbons with his katana and freeing Wendy.

Sting saw several huge vines suddenly sprout behind the girls and dove to tackle them to the ground while Lily cut them down with his Musica Sword.

The first Garou Knight got behind the black exceed with surprising speed and punched at him, "Bam!"

Lily jumped and dodged the stream of acid that came next, but Kamika followed up with more paper, "Paper Blizzard: Violet Dance!"

This paper was faster and quickly latched onto the mages, who became immobile.

Rogue hissed, "I can't move!"

Sting stared at the paper with surprise. _The same effect as my White Dragon's Claw?! _

Kamika smiled, "This violet paper is the god of binding…"

"With this, all of you shall be beautifully petrified…" Cosmos murmured.

A huge carnivorous plant grew from the ceiling and started sucking like a vacuum cleaner at Cosmos's cry, "Flower Flourish!"

Lucy shrieked, "A summoning spell?!"

Cosmos's eyes were dark with a sadistic joy, "Devour these sinners beautifully…"

Lily shouted as he was lifted from the ground, "It's sucking us in!"

Rogue managed to grab Yukino's hand, despite his immobility before she could be taken by the huge plant.

Wendy held her hand out and chanted, "Undo this magic restricting our movements! Body Anomaly Reversal, Raise!" The spell quickly released the mages from the paper, restoring their mobility.

Sting grinned, "Alright!"

"But what about the plant?!" Lucy cried.

The White Dragon's fangs bared in a snarl, "We turn it to mulch!"

Rogue took a deep breath, "Okay!"

"Here it comes!" Wendy also gulped in air.

The three Dragon Slayers chanted in unison.

"White…"

"Shadow…"

"Sky…"

**"Dragon's Roar!"**

The three bursts of light, darkness, and air flew up and exploded violently in the plant's core, completely annihilating it.

**/**

Hisui started as the soldiers behind her cheered, "The Garou Knights were sent to execute the criminals! Everything's okay, now!"

She stared at them uneasily, then turned away with a sigh. _My plans seem to backfire every time…Please make it out of this safely..Arcadios…_

**/**

The Fairy Tail mages faced off against the Garou Knights again, ready for the next attack, but now the leader's eyes were narrowed.

Kamika glanced back at him, "What's the matter? Aren't we continuing?"

"…" the man said nothing, his eyes locked on Rogue.

Cosmos also seemed to become interested, "Well…It seems we've been presented with quite a big fish to catch…"

"Big?!" the flag bearing member started drooling.

The leader nodded, "I'd agree..I certainly hadn't expected Rogue Cheney to be on the list today…Well, well, well…"

The big man in the group raised an eyebrow, "Rogue who?"

Kamika smiled darkly, "Of course, I see now..you would probably recognize the name Reyos?"

_That _had an effect on the Garou Knights, who suddenly looked very interested in the Shadow Dragon.

Rogue growled, "That name's from long ago. I don't use it anymore."

"Nonetheless, you _are _the infamous demon who terrorized a city for two years, are you not?" the leader demanded.

Wendy stared at Rogue with shock, "Eh?!"

Cosmos laughed quietly, "It would seem your comrades do not know your history..well, here's a little interesting information for them: This man was active during the years X780 to X782..when the terrorizing of civilians and criminals finally ended…he was a monster from the age of just thirteen years."

Sting stared at the Shadow Dragon, "Is that true?"

Rogue said nothing, just glared at the Garou Knights.

Kamika suddenly laughed, "We'll take you down first. It's said that demon is extremely powerful, so much so that even we would have trouble against it…Cosmos, why don't you set the fodder aside for a bit?"

Cosmos giggled and suddenly huge vines shot forwards and made a thorny barrier between Rogue and the rest of the group.

When Sting got ready to shred through them, the Shadow Dragon shouted, "Wait! I'll deal with them."

The leader of the Garou Knights chuckled, "Now that the prey is dispersed..you have no chance. My subordinates are efficient and thorough. We'll make short work of you."

Rogue met his gaze with a dark glare, "You truly are a bothersome pest…I just came to save Yukino, and you've made such a mess of things…"

**/**

Wendy glanced at Sting frantically, "What do we do?! We have to help him!"

Sting nodded, but couldn't touch the thick vines without getting spiked, "I know, but-"

"Don't."

The group stared at Yukino with surprise, as she watched Rogue face the Garou Knights with a frightened, but determined look, "He said he'd defeat them. So he will. Just trust him..he's not the same person he was nine years ago."

Arcadios grunted weakly, "For his sake, I actually hope just a bit of that demon is left in him..he'll need it."

Yukino's eyes didn't move from the Shadow Dragon, full of concern and fear for him. _Rogue…_

**/**

Rogue faced the Garou Knights with an unwavering glare, "I won't back down, regardless of who you think I am."

The leader snorted, "I would expect nothing less of a criminal as heralded as you."

"I'm no criminal. I was found innocent, remember?" he shot back.

Kamika chuckled, "Of course..but do you really think everyone believed you? Who would think you committed every crime under the possession of an alternate persona, hmm?"

Rogue sighed, "Explaining it to you would take too long, and I have no patience for that right now. Enough talk. Come."

The leader started off by taking the two scythes off his back and lunging forwards, swinging at Rogue from the neck up.

The Shadow Dragon quickly unsheathed his katana and blocked the fist few slashes, but then had to leap back at a swift cut that missed his throat by centimeters.

The leader glared at him, "I aim for the necks of the sinners."

"You talk too much." Rogue snarled, kicking him in the gut and sending him skidding back. The big man was next, sending up a swirl of acid as the leader jumped back.

Rogue leaped into the air and dodged with a tch. _I can't block something like that…_

He was suddenly suspended in midair, much to his surprise as the flag bearer held his hands up with a smile, "Executioner Uosuke making your acquaintance. Terrain Effect: Gravitational Territory!"

He held Rogue up while Kamika sent the red paper out again, "Paper Blizzard: Crimson Dance!" The Shadow Dragon roared as the paper burned his skin wherever it touched, but then he was slammed into the ground by Uosuke's gravity.

Cosmos followed up with a cry of joy, "Spore Bomb Rinka Renka!"

Several large, white spores flew at the stunned Rogue and exploded, but he quickly retreated and took a deep breath, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

The Garou Knights scattered to the sides as the black roar destroyed where they'd been standing a second before.

The biggest man hurled more acid at Rogue as he cackled, "Melt! Melt!"

Rogue turned into a shadow and zipped across the cave, climbing up his body in an instant and reappearing to strike him in the back with a fist, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

The big man grunted in pain and was sent flying, but Rogue was thrown towards the wall by Uosuke's gravity again. This time however, he melted back into shadow as he touched the wall and flew at the executioner again, kicking him fiercely in the jaw with a roar, "You're a nuisance!"

Uosuke sailed like a bird and hit the ground hard, but then the leader rushed back in and slashed with the dancing scythes.

Rogue ducked and weaved as best he could, managing to escape the vicious assault with only a small cut to his collar before the leader moved back and let Cosmos strike again, "Fanged Flytrap!"

Several vines erupted from the ground at her feet and lunged at Rogue with heads dripping juice and sporting wickedly curved teeth. The Shadow Dragon unsheathed his katana and flashed by, slashing the heads off before he cut at Cosmos, but was suddenly frozen in place and gave the girl a chance to retreat.

Kamika smiled, "Paper Blizzard: Violet Dance. This is the most lethal combination."

Uosuke stood up and crossed his arms, "Terrain Effect: Lava Territory!"

**/**

Sting felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck as a massive magic power collected in the ground.

Arcadios paled at the sight of Uosuke preparing to attack, "That one's the most lethal..his victims are reduced to nothing but..bones…"

Lucy gulped, "Th-the earth..it's…"

"Burning…" Lily whispered.

**/**

The ground at Rogue's feet cracked and exploded, melting into huge pools of lava. Rendered immobile by Kamika's paper, he just roared as flames burst from the burning deluge and ate hungrily at his skin.

Cosmos shivered, "What wonderful screams…"

"You cannot escape from this, Reyos." the leader grunted, "Your life is hereby forfeit."

The big man sniggered, "Melt!"

Uosuke flicked his finger and the lava suddenly burst upwards at the rock where Rogue was trapped, splattering globs of the blazing liquid over the Shadow Dragon's chest. He screeched from the agony of being burned alive.

**/**

Yukino shrieked, _"ROGUE!" _

Sting and Lily got ready to destroy the vines, but then the lava exploded and hid the Shadow Dragon from their sight.

When it settled down, he couldn't be seen.

The cave was very quiet for several seconds. Lucy and Wendy stared in horror at the place where Rogue had vanished. Lector and Charle bristled with shock and disbelief. Sting and Pantherlily hesitated, unable to comprehend that their friend wasn't there.

Yukino felt like time had stopped. When she finally broke the silence, her voice trembled and quivered in a whimper, "R..Ro..gue..?"

The leader glanced at them from the other side of the vine walls, "You are next."

_"You bastards…" _Sting breathed, his face lighting up with an indescribable fury. He was about to explode through the wall roaring blood and murder when a figure suddenly rose from floor between them and the executioners.

Rogue's chest was smoking from burns and he was gasping for air, but he was still alive.

Yukino almost collapsed from relief, covering her mouth with her hands, "Oh, thank god…"

Kamika's smirk was a little strained and her eyebrow twitched, "You're very stubborn..so you used the lava to burn away my paper..then turned into shadow and escaped before you were incinerated…smart, as expected."

Uosuke shook his fist, "Dammit, I fished you, big!"

The leader waved his hand dismissively, "It matters not. He's now critically injured- escape is impossible. It's over, Reyos."

"Don't call me that…" Rogue hissed, meeting the leader's eyes with a surprisingly hard glare, "Reyos is no longer a part of me…He's no longer my shadow…"

The big man grunted, "Huh?"

Rogue looked to the ground and winced at the burning pain in his chest, but kept talking, "The lacrima Skyadrum implanted in me..gave my shadow it's own life…while she was alive, my shadow would lend me it's power..that was Reyos…but when Skyadrum died, Reyos saw no reason to give me his power..when he could just take over my body instead.."

Rogue paused for breath and went on, "At first..I didn't care…I let Reyos run wild for two years when I was in Phantom Lord..every fight I had was at his command..he made me stronger…and that's all I wanted after Skyadrum's death. His power was..drugging..being a demon, I guess that's the best way to describe Reyos's strength. Of course, he took over my body at random sometimes and used me to attack civilians when being my shadow got boring. There lies the truth of the terror I created. Skyadrum's gift…"

The leader raised an eyebrow, "And? He suddenly stopped being your shadow one day? Is that it?"

Rogue closed his eyes weakly, "Oh no, it was never that simple…Reyos made me fight for control..Had that person not found me..he would've definitely won, too…"

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Agony. His mind was being split. _

_The voice strained in his ear, whispering to him, "Submit..Your body is no longer yours, Rogue..poor, quiet, little Rogue..Skyadrum would be disappointed..You're not worthy of my power..but I need a body, and yours is the only one I can use at this time…" _

_"Get..out…" Rogue hissed, shrieking as Reyos attacked his mind with no remorse. He fell to his knees on the cave floor and toppled over, curling up and grabbing frantically at his head to stop the pain, the searing, uncaring pain. _

_Reyos growled, "You are mine. Be grateful I have allowed you to walk in the sunlight..You will be my shadow now. But not my power…My strength is greater than yours. You know this..you've accepted it, so why do you keep struggling when I am in control for the better part of your day? Is it that girl?" _

_Rogue flinched as Reyos sought to rip through his memories and tried to block the search with every ounce of mental strength he had left. Reyos clawed at his being, overwhelming him with pain for a moment, but it was enough to seize control and look over what Rogue knew of Yukino. _

_The demonic presence grew increasingly disgusted as he saw images of the girl in Rogue's mind, flitting through her laughs, smiles, and warm eyes that no one else gave him. _

_Reyos finally finished his search and scoffed in Rogue's ear, "Pathetic..that you would value a simple girl over my power…unforgivable. You're first punishment is going to be watching her die from within me." _

_Rogue froze as Reyos made another attempt to seize full control of his body, but the voice from the outside is what stopped him, "Rogue!" _

_Yukino was running up, dropping to her knees as he gasped, "No..get away..!" _

_She shook her head, staring at him as he writhed from the mental assault Reyos subjugated him to, "I'm not leaving you here! If Reyos is trying to destroy you, then I'm staying!" _

_"Yukino..no!" Rogue hissed as she pulled him into her arms and held him close, trying keep him still while he scrabbled against Reyos's attack. _

_She mumbled into his hair, "Fight him. Don't let him win. You're the stronger one, Rogue. You can beat him." _

_Rogue cried out as Reyos attacked his mind with a new fury, seeking to utterly destroy his very being, "She will suffer for daring to interfere. Give me your body, Rogue!" _

_The struggle was tipping in Reyos's favor as the demonic shadow managed to seize control for a brief moment. Yukino shrieked as Reyos bit down hard on her arm and broke the skin, then released and gritted his now crimson fangs as Rogue came back. _

_She held him tighter, gasping from the pain in her arm as she stammered, "I-It's okay! Keep fighting..you can beat him!" _

_Rogue shook his head, "I..can't…" _

_Reyos lashed out and delivered another unforgiving blow to his mind, sending another burst of splitting pain through the weakening Rogue. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to resist, refuse Reyos his body, but the demon persisted and seized control for another few brief moments. _

_Yukino gasped as Reyos shoved her to the ground and crouched over her, fangs bared and red eyes glowing with hate. Her hands flew up and pressed against his chest to keep him back, but Reyos dove down and sought to sink those sharp fangs into her throat. _

_Yukino held him back desperately, but he was quickly overpowering her weaker body. She screamed as the fangs brushed her skin and knew he would probably kill her in the next few seconds. _

_Then Rogue managed to regain control and stopped trying to bite her, instead collapsing on top of her body as he gasped for breath while Reyos shrieked furiously in the back of his mind. _

_Yukino realized he had recovered and quickly put her arms around him again, holding his trembling form tightly against her. She stroked his hair with a hand and whispered softly into his ear, "It's okay…shh..you're doing it..you're winning…" _

_"It hurts.." he whimpered, for a moment sounding nothing like the Rogue she knew. _

_Yukino kept running her fingers through the soft, black hair, and even though her heart was pounding with fear for the both of them, she managed to keep her composure and voice even, "I know..but just a little more..you're going to win, Rogue…you're going to win…" _

_Reyos, now utterly furious that he had been denied twice, made Yukino's confident words waver in Rogue's head, "I'd like to see you try, you weakling. That irritating brat will be dead within the hour, mark my words." _

_Reyos clawed at his mind again, making Rogue's eyes go wide and his body shiver as he struggled to remain in control. _

_Yukino felt the shift and kept talking to him, trying to keep his resolve strong, "Don't give up..he's not stronger than you..He's cruel..but he's not stronger." _

_"Yukino get out of here..I-I could kill you…" Rogue gasped. _

_She shook her head and held him tighter, "Even if I let you go..Reyos wants me to die, so he'll come for me later…I'm staying with you to the end, Rogue…" _

_Rogue felt his control waver and his heart lurched as he growled, "Get..out…GRAAHHHGGHH!" A scream tore from his jaws as Reyos viciously attacked his mind, but despite his struggles, Yukino didn't release him. _

_She couldn't stop herself from crying at her friend's pain, but her hold on him only grew tighter. The girl murmured softly, knowing her words would reach him even in his agonized state, "It'll be okay, Rogue. I'll stay with you, I promise. Just keep fighting...I'll be here the whole time…"_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Rogue let the memory run through his head for a few brief moments, then struggled to his feet to face the executioners, "I don't need Reyos to beat you down…"

Kamika smirked, "Brave words coming from a man who can barely stand up. I think I'll end this."

This time, green paper appeared and surrounded Rogue, releasing a gas as the executioner murmured, "Paper Blizzard: Green Dance! This green paper is the god of poison!"

**/**

Yukino watched as the gas enveloped Rogue and cried out, "We have to help him!"

"No."

The group turned to stare at Sting, who watched the situation unfold seriously, "Don't. He's not done."

**/**

Rogue disappeared in the haze of poison, resulting in a confident smirk from Kamika, "That'll do it. He's probably in too much pain to even make a sound by this point."

Cosmos giggled, "On the verge of death, is he?"

**"No."**

The executioners froze as Rogue's voice rang out from the poison mist, "You've made a critical error…I am not Reyos anymore..that ship has sailed..but that does not mean..I can't still be a demon…"

The poison gas shimmered, then suddenly drew to a single point.

Kamika paled as she saw Rogue become visible and realized he was _eating _the toxic gas, "E-eh?!"

Rogue snarled as he devoured the poison, his voice getting stronger with every mouthful, "I don't like showing how much of a monstrosity I can be…I would never use this in the presence of many people like at the arena…but you've forced my hand, I admit…Now…"

The last of the poison went down his throat and Rogue licked his lips_. _For the first time, the executioners felt afraid.

**/**

Lucy wasn't sure if she was in complete awe or utterly horrified, "He..he..ate..._poison?!" _

Lector bristled, "What the…"

Sting grinned nervously, "They've done it now…"

Yukino's eyes were huge, "R-Rogue?"

**/**

Rogue's body flashed with black scales, but they had a mottled, red tint to them now. From the elbows down, his arms were completely transformed into dragon's claws, his ears gained pointed edges. Shadows lapped at his body, but were lined with a crimson mist the color of blood.

The red eyes gained a crazed light to them as Rogue bared his fangs in a terrifying, sadistic _smile. _

The leader of the executioners was now thoroughly alarmed, "What have you done, Reyos?!"

"Reyos…?" he chuckled, but his laugh sent chills down the spine of every person in the room, "I told you, I'm Rogue..and believe me, between me and Reyos…_I'm the worse nightmare_…"

**/**

Charle wanted to shrink from the terrifying figure, to go hide somewhere, anywhere, as long as she was _away _from him.

Wendy shot a scared look at Sting, "Wh-what is that?!"

Sting's gaze was fixed on Rogue, "That's what convinced the First Master to experiment with our Dragon Slayer magic…one month ago, while you guys were in the Celestial Spirit World, we fought against Oracion Seis again, and Rogue had a rematch with Cobra."

Lucy's eyes bugged, "W-what?! A rematch?!"

"Yeah. This time, Cobra probably would've beaten him, but then…" Sting paused and narrowed his eyes at the nightmarish figure that was making the executioners cringe, "Rogue..ate Cobra's poison the same way I ate Natsu's fire…"

Lector gasped, "Th-then it's a fusion..?!"

"A Poison..Shadow Dragon..?" Yukino whispered.

**/**

Rogue kept grinning maniacally at the executioners, who looked like prey that knew it was about to get eaten.

The leader snapped out of the terror first and gestured at his enemy wildly, "Do it! Attack, all at once!"

His subordinates reacted and jumped into the fight. The big man hurled a mass of acid at Rogue with a yell, but the Poison Shadow Dragon batted the acid aside with his transformed hands, causing the man to stare in shocked disbelief, "Wha-he blocked acid?!"

Rogue slipped into the darkness faster than they could blink and erupted from the earth to grab the man by his face with a shout, "Poison Shadow Dragon's Scarlet Claw!"

The dragon claws released a torrent of poison and shadows that made the executioner howl before Rogue threw him into a wall with incredible force.

Kamika held her hands out with a shout, "Paper Blizzard: Violet Dance!"

"Sleep! Makura Kamura!" Cosmos shouted.

Rogue whipped around as a mass of paper and gas came at him, but he sucked in a deep breath and shouted, "Poison Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

A spiraling mixture of dancing shadows and red air tore from his jaws and obliterated the paper and gas before crashing into the two executioners, who shrieked as they and the surrounding area were devastated by the breath attack.

**/**

Wendy shrieked at the thunderous sound of the explosion made the cave shudder, "Waahhh, it's scary!"

**/**

Rogue lunged at Uosuke next, who quickly brought his hands down, "Terrain Effect: Gravitational Territory!"

As he was crushed into the ground, Rogue dove into the shadows to escape the force, then leaped up from the front with a forward flip, catching Uosuke in the back of the head with the heel of his boot.

The executioner staggered and held his hands up, "Terrain Effect: Whirlpool Territory!" A spiraling torrent of water surrounded him to defend, but a hand grabbed his foot from below and tripped him up.

As Uosuke fell, Rogue burst from the shadows at his feet with that crazy grin and grabbed him by the face, once again doing damage with poison from the dragon claws before he crushed the executioner's head into the ground with enough force to make him squeal as he was knocked unconscious.

What was visible of the leader's masked face was pale, "Th-this is..! Impossible!"

Rogue lunged at him fangs and claws bared, the sight of the demonic figure flying towards him being enough to send the leader into a panic as he slashed his scythes wildly in an attempt to ward off his attacker, "Don't come closer! Do you intend to make an enemy of the entire empire?!"

"Make it my enemy?!" Rogue hissed, grabbing the scythes with his bare hands and breaking them with the piercing claws and scales, "Didn't you intend to make an enemy out of _me?!" _

He grabbed the man by the throat and threw him away into the cave wall, making him choke at the poison and force, but then cry out in fear as Rogue reappeared from the shadows behind him and kicked him towards the ground.

The leader hit the earth hard, then rolled over on his back and scrabbled frantically to escape, but the furious Dragon Slayer landed over him, grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up into the air with one draconic hand as he brought his other one back and curled it into a fist swirling with poison and shadows.

The masked man stammered, "P-please! Don't-"

_"You wanted a demon, you got it!"_

Rogue crashed his clawed fist into the man's face, shattering his mask and nose as he roared, "Poison Shadow Dragon's Violent Slash!"

The leader screamed as he was hit, then flew through the air for several seconds before hitting the ground with a loud thud, falling silent afterwards.

**/**

Lucy's jaw hit the floor, "Holy crap…"

Wendy shook like a leaf and whimpered, "Scary…"

"Just a little." Sting laughed nervously.

The spiked vines retreated back to the earth, allowing them to get to Rogue, but Yukino was the only one who ran towards him. The others were a little intimidated at the display of massive power and battle lust, but Sting just knew it'd be best to let him be and question the defeated executioners.

The black and red scales disappeared with the claws on his hands and the points on Rogue's ears, also causing the crazed look in his red eyes to settle down. As the fusion dispersed, Rogue fell to his knees and would've hit the ground face first had Yukino not dropped and caught him in a hug. The skin on his chest was still hot and bleeding from the lava attack, but she didn't care so long as he was alive.

She smiled and held him tightly to her, "You're amazing, you know that?"

Rogue just grunted, too exhausted from the fight to speak.

Arcadios stared at the Shadow Dragon from the ground with wide eyes. _The records were correct..what a terrifying man! To defeat the Garou Knights single handedly is..is unheard of! _

Despite the shock he'd felt witnessing the violent battle, Arcadios set his mouth in a line and muttered quietly, "Impressive…"


	47. Unpredictable

**Oh, I really enjoyed writing this..well, mostly the last part of the chapter (That was so funny picturing it, lol) but the rest of it is pretty good I think. Hmm...I can't think of anything else to say at the moment, so yeah! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 47: Unpredictable_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 50pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

"First, what's our team's next course of action?" Makarov asked.

Mavis smiled, "At this point, Lyon will meet up with Chelia and Juvia, but Gray will stay on course and meet up with them. Simultaneously, Erza and Mira will meet at the end of their V sweep through the city and pin down Rustyrose."

Romeo glanced at her curiously, "Rustyrose? That guy from Sabertooth, you mean?"

"What's his magic, anyways? I went through a dozen books overnight just trying to find a reference to it." Levy muttered.

Mavis nodded, "That's to be expected. It's called Arc of Embodiment, a type of Lost Magic that is even rarer than it sounds. Even I only have limited knowledge of it..In addition, I don't know the extent of that man's powers as his fight ended almost immediately. All I know is that he's strong, so I wanted to be safe when we had to deal with him. That's why Erza and Mira are dealing with him."

Cana laughed, "I almost feel bad for the guy! Having to fight Erza AND Mira?! That's gotta suck!"

**/**

As she spoke, Gray and Lyon did indeed meet up with Juvia and Chelia.

The Lamia Scale mage smirked, "You've seen better days, Gray…"

"None the worse for wear..we'll still defeat the both of you." Gray retorted.

Juvia swooned at his words, putting the battle aside for a moment to hug her comrade, "Where should our honeymoon be, Gray?"

Gray freaked and jerked back, "Just how many screws are loose in that head of yours?!"

Lyon was understandably irritated by Juvia's behavior, "Unacceptable..I'll make sure Juvia sees who the right man for her is!"

Chelia sobbed at his words, "Your soulmate is right here, Lyon!"

**/**

Happy sniggered, "They'll do just fine..bufufufufu…"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch giggled.

Levy watched the screens as Erza and Mira approached each other and frowned, "First, I thought Rustyrose was supposed to be there…"

**/**

Erza and Mira met up with each other and glanced around, but couldn't sense any magic power or enemy presences.

Titania bit her lip, "Was the First really incorrect?"

"Rustyrose isn't here…" Mira murmured with a frown.

**/**

Mavis was perturbed by this, racking her brains for an answer, "But..according to my calculations, Rustyrose should be waiting there…did I miss something?"

"You haven't been wrong so far, so what happened?" Macao muttered.

Mavis kept frowning, then paled, "Uh-oh."

Makarov didn't like the sound of that, "Uh-oh, what?!"

"Uhh..has Gajeel engaged Rufus yet?" Mavis asked.

Romeo tilted his head, "Um..no, I don't think so…"

Mavis started shaking and cried, "Awww, I thought he'd have started fighting him by now! Rufus can still sense Erza and Mira's position! He let Rustyrose know where they were and redirected his course!"

Levy gasped, "Wait, then where is Rustyrose now?!"

**/**

Gajeel finally sniffed out Rufus lurking in the city library, smirking as he saw the Sabertooth mage reading a book in a regal chair that suited a prince-like figure such as him.

Rufus chuckled, "You took your time. My memory seems to recall you were..faster before…"

"I'm in no rush. I'll drag out kicking your ass until I get bored." Gajeel grunted.

The Sabertooth mage chuckled, never taking his eyes off the page, "Your lengthy arrival is about to cause severe consequences for your team."

Black Steel's eyes narrowed, "The hell does that mean?"

Rufus shut the book and glanced up at him with a confident smirk, "You're aware I'm a sensory type mage. I know where every mage in this competition is right now and open communications with my teammates. Your..detour gave me ample time to sense Rustyrose was walking into an ambush, so I've sent him towards..easier prey."

Gajeel growled, "Alright, so where have you sent the bastard?"

Rufus pointed out towards the door and across the river, where several explosions could be seen. Gajeel frowned, then his eyes widened in realization, "Oh, shit…"

"Your inactivity is about to cost your team dearly." Rufus confirmed.

**/**

Gray and Juvia were tired, but Lyon and Chelia were no better, stubbornly refusing to throw in the towel while their battle dragged on.

Had Lamia Scale worked together more cooperatively, however, the fight would have been in their favor, but Lyon was reluctant to attack the Rain Woman, much to Chelia's frustration, "Lyon! Quit ignoring Juvia!"

He smirked, "I leave her in your capable hands…just remember not to leave any lasting marks."

"As if!" Chelia pouted.

Juvia took their argument as a chance to catch her breath, "Was Lyon always this powerful?"

Gray shook his head with a grin, "We're just tired, but they're not working in unison..so we have the advantage!"

"Fufufu..do you now?"

The four mages froze as Rustyrose stepped out from an alleyway between the street where they fought, tapping his glasses with a smirk, "Where we stand now, I believe _I'm _the one with the advantage."

Lyon rolled his eyes, "You aren't funny. Both of our teams have two people here. If we wanted to, the four of us would crush you."

"I'm not teaming up with Juvia!" Chelia protested.

Rustyrose snickered, "That suits me just fine..the more the merrier, I say."

Gray put a fist on his open palm, "This isn't exactly what we had in mind for the plan, but oh well, what the hell, is what they say…Ice Make: Lance!"

A flurry of frozen spears flew at the Sabertooth mage, who brought his left hand up with a murmur, _"That which dwells in my left hand is a golden shield that pushes back everything." _

Quite literally, his left arm transformed so it was shaped like a large ornate, golden shield, which like Rustyrose said blocked the ice attacks with ease.

**/**

As they watched, Droy's jaw dropped, "That guy..he turned his arm into a shield?! But he was summoning monsters on the first day!"

Mavis bit her lip nervously, "That's Arc of Embodiment..,Rustyrose has the ability to materialize anything he can imagine. Every object he creates is different and has its own versatile range of uses. Living creatures, weapons, everyday objects…if he can imagine it, he can make it."

"Brings a whole new definition to dream come true, huh?" Levy muttered.

Jet shook his head, "Never mind that, can Gray and Juvia really beat him in the state they're in?!"

**/**

Lamia Scale took up the offensive next as Chelia lunged at Rustyrose with her black wind, "Sky God's Dance!"

Rustyrose smirked as she approached and held up his right hand as he chanted, _"I am the king of the underworld. This arm cuts through everything with an ebony sword. Vanish to the edge of darkness." _

His right arm suddenly turned into a sword shaped like a claw, which extended and slashed Chelia viciously, making her cry out in pain.

As Lyon jumped to her defense, while Gray and Juvia prepared to lash out at him, Rustyrose grinned and held his arms out on either side with a laugh, "Come to me, Tower of Dingir! Crush these foolish children with your sadness and send them back to earth!"

The four mages yelled in shock as a huge, demonic looking tower erupted from the ground and pinned them to it.

Gray struggled to get free, but he was stuck tight, "What the hell is this thing?!"

"I..I can't..move!" Lyon grunted.

Rustyrose smiled and tapped his glasses, "This is the end for you. Scatter."

He snapped his fingers and the tower glowed brightly, almost blinding the mages trapped to it as their eyes grew wide with dread. They all realized what was about to happen.

The explosion shook the earth and could be seen all over the city, the glow of the blast visible even from the stadium.

**/**

The spectators watched in shock at the devastation, mouths falling open with disbelief.

Mavis stared with horrified amazement, "That guy..is much more powerful than I calculated..!"

**/**

Gajeel's eyes grew wide at the sight of the huge blast, then held a hand up to ward of the shockwave that ripped across the river towards him and Rufus.

The Sabertooth mage smirked, "I told you. You're arrogance has cost your team two of it's members…"

"Jackass." Gajeel snarled.

**/**

Rustyrose smirked with satisfaction as all four mages crashed to the ground with almost simultaneous thuds, "Well, that was a delectable first course..that said, it lacked a certain edge to it…Perhaps it would have been better had one of you managed to wound me? No, not even then. I'll require a better fight to be satiated."

Gray glared up at him, but he could hardly move after the point-blank explosion, "Bastard…"

Rustyrose chuckled, "Oh, please, you sound so vain and stereotypical! Don't make me waste my breath speaking to fairy trash like you, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Gray struggled to remain awake, but the damage done had been too great and he slowly fell unconscious alongside Juvia and the others, who were already knocked out from the initial blast.

**/**

**3rd. Sabertooth: 50+4=54**

**/**

"U-unbelievable! Rustyrose took down all four battling mages single handedly!" Chapati shrieked.

The crowd was stunned by the sudden turn of events, muttering to themselves.

"Whoa..Sabertooth still pulled off a win like that…"

"They still have all five members!"

"Fairy Tail B still has all of its members, too…"

"It's anyone's game with this!"

**/**

Mavis cried with frustration, "Ugh..I..I'm not crying..I'm not..cry.."

"There, there, First, it wasn't your fault!" Makarov tried to reassure her urgently, but she was already crying.

Happy sniffed, "I can't believe Gray and Juvia got done in…"

**/**

Master Oobaba's jaw dropped, "L-Lyon and Chelia were..! Jura! Don't you dare lose, now!"

**/**

Ur noted her student's defeat with narrowed eyes, but kept her anger down in silence.

**/**

Jura also identified the mage responsible for the explosion and muttered to himself, "A mage like that is out here..?"

**/**

Minerva smirked, "That's better…I have no intention of allowing Sabertooth to crumble here…"

**/**

Erza and Mira stared at a lacrima vision in shock as their target defeated two of their comrades.

Titania tch'd, "Dammit, we missed him! The strategy failed!"

"Calm down, Erza. We've still got eight members active." Mira pointed out, "As long as we don't fall behind Saber or Raven, we'll win this. Make sure you don't lose to them."

Erza spun around so her back faced the Demon, "I never said we'd lose."

Mira nodded, "Well, you implied it."

Titania sighed, "My apologies. I was simply frustrated..We should have sensed that he had deviated his course. Let's both do our best, Mirajane."

She walked past her comrade, but Mira glanced after her, "You're going after Kagura next, right? Be careful. She's definitely strong. I'm worried only Laxus and Ur might have a surefire chance at beating her."

Erza paused and looked back to meet her gaze, "I'm strong enough to beat Kagura. And are you implying that Laxus is stronger than me?"

"No more so than you implied we would lose." Mira said sweetly.

Erza turned to face her with a knowing smirk, "I understand. You just feel supportive of your boyfriend, right?"

The Demon blushed, "W-well..yes, I am."

Titania nodded sagely, "I get it. Don't worry, Laxus is quite powerful." As she said this, a brief spark of their old rivalry ran though her and made her unable to resist a parting comment, "Though Mystogan is even stronger than him."

Mira's eye twitched. _Is that a challenge?_

Mira smiled with deceptive kindness and asked sweetly, "Erza..are you suggesting Mystogan is more powerful because that's what you honestly believe, or because you think your man is better than mine?"

**/**

Laxus, by chance, was watching their exchange on a lacrima vision and raised an eyebrow. _Deja vu. She just repeated my words from the night of the first day…_

**/ **

Erza grinned, sensing the change in her mood along with another rivalry spark, "I suggest Mystogan is more powerful because he _is _more powerful..and he does have better qualities than Laxus, in my opinion."

Mira laughed deviously, "Well, I suppose the mask adds some charisma. I get why you'd like that since you always hide under all the armor."

**/**

"Ohh…" the crowd muttered as they heard the insult.

**/**

Erza didn't take that one without an effective reply, "Oh? Well, Laxus has always had a taste for women who wear skimpy outfits..and your lack of decency in your Take Over makes it obvious why he likes you."

**/**

"Ohh!" the spectators whistled at the reply.

**/**

Laxus shook a fist at the screen with a pissed off expression, "Damn you Erza, quit talking shit about me! I am NOT into that kinda crap!"

**/**

Elfman, also watching, mimicked Laxus's anger on the other side of the city, but for a different reason, "Laxus! You bastard!"

**/**

Mira's eyebrows shot up, "Are you suggesting that my boyfriend likes me only because I enjoy looking a little sexy now and then?"

Erza was on a roll now. In her mind, the first shot had already been fired, "Mira, I am simply saying that Mystogan chooses women based on personality rather than how much cleavage they show."

**/**

"OHHHH!" Now the crowd knew a fight was coming.

Cana face palmed as the argument hit the breaking point, "Oh great, the strategy's wack and we've got infighting…"

"Stop it, you brats!" Makarov pleaded.

Mavis laughed nervously, "It'll be alright…sure!"

Levy muttered, "You don't sound confident."

**/**

Mira was not happy. She could take insults to herself, but Erza had gone past messing around by dragging Laxus into it. And suggesting he just wanted her for her body…

Oh, it was so on.

With another sweet smile, Mira poured fuel on the fire, "Well, I'm so sorry you feel that way when you can't even openly say that you and Mystogan are dating. At least Laxus and I are in a relationship. You and Mystogan just screw each other around on call."

**/**

"OOOHHHH!" More yells of anticipation sounded in the colosseum as the final straw was pulled.

**/**

Erza requipped into her Purgatory Armor with a sigh, "Oh, Mira, you have no idea how upset that makes me."

Mira wasn't intimidated in the least and transformed into her Satan Soul, "You started it. Don't talk bad about my boyfriend, Titania."

"Assuming you show the same respect, Demon." she retorted.

The two girls glared daggers at each other, both unwilling to back down from the challenge.

**/**

Watching the lacrima vision, Natsu and Lisanna paled.

The Salamander choked, "O-oi, are you serious?"

Lisanna grabbed her hair with her hands and whimpered, "Mira..don't start fighting like this…" Her pleas were, unfortunately, left unanswered.

**/**

Gajeel was officially pissed off.

Firstly, two of his teammates had been defeated by a guy he decided on the first day was absolutely despicable.

Secondly, he'd been blamed for it.

Thirdly, he'd realized his enemy was correct about that statement and got even madder.

Fourth, his comrades were now fighting like schoolgirls over their boyfriends.

Black Steel took a deep breath and let it out for several seconds in a hiss, "I swear to god…I'm going to seriously beat the shit out of all these idiots…starting with you."

He finished with a snarl and glared at Rufus, who chuckled, "Just me?"

"You may want to correct yourself, Iron Dragon Slayer."

Gajeel turned towards the entrance to see Rustyrose walk in with a smirk, "You look like you'll be much more entertaining than those weaklings back there…"

Gajeel bared his fangs, "Two of you..good. I'd be so unsatisfied if I only got to make one of you tigers scream like the bitches you are…"

**/**

Mavis's eyes widened as the battles started to unfold, but not all in the way they should have, "This..it's impossible to predict what happens next with these fights…"


	48. Iron Fury

**Okay! This is a good battle chapter and a really good setup chapter bundled into one! The really big fights are about to start, just wait! As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 48: Iron Fury_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 54pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

"Uh-oh! We've got a situation in the library! Gajeel has been cornered by Rufus and Rustyrose! Can he handle two of Sabertooth's elite?!"

With the crowd's tension already high, Chapati's words could add little more to the spectator's anticipation.

**/**

Levy clasped her hands nervously, "Gajeel…"

"He'll be fine." She looked back in surprise at Freed's words of encouragement, "He proved to the Thunder God Tribe that numbers don't matter. Just trust him- his fierceness will definitely surpass Sabertooth."

Levy stared at him, then nodded agreement.

**/**

Gajeel glanced back and forth between Rufus, still sitting on his throne-like chair, and Rustyrose, who had a finger gun pointed at him with a confident smirk.

Black Steel tch'd, "Try to make this fun for me, drama queens. I hate boring people."

Rufus chuckled, "I'm aware of that. I've memorized your personality and power..I remember exactly how to defeat you."

"So then, Iron Dragon…" Rustyrose snapped his fingers and tapped his glasses, "Shall we begin?"

Gajeel snorted, "Whenever you're ready."

**/**

The stadium held its breath as the mages remained still for a moment, then sprung into action.

**/**

Rustyrose shot forward and struck with his right arm, "Ebony Sword!"

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel countered, catching the attack on the flat of his blade.

He brought his right fist back for his own attack, but now Rufus had jumped up into the air and put his fingers to the sides of his head, "Memory Make…Starfall Night!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Gajeel growled, quickly retracting his sword arm before the lightning bolts could home in on him.

He jumped back to avoid getting hit by the rays, but left himself open to an attack by Rustyrose, who flicked his hand up, "Guardian Saint Beast: Belcusas the Thunderclap!"

A huge, heavily armored monster suddenly materialized out of thin air and tried to crush Gajeel, but the Iron Dragon leaped away and dodged that attack too.

He skidded to a stop and eyed the creature with disdain. _The same monster that one shotted that War Cry guy on day one, eh?! _

Belcusas lunged at him with surprising speed and swung a huge fist at Gajeel, who jumped up on its arm as the fist crashed into the floor and ran up to its head.

The beast tried to swat him off, but Gajeel jumped above it, grabbed it by the horns and using incredible physical strength, lifted Belcusas off the ground, then flipped and slammed the beast hard into the floor so it left a crater.

**/**

Jet and Droy's eyes almost popped out of their head, "What the hell?!"

"Just how stupidly powerful did he get in three months?!"

**/**

The surprise Gajeel had instilled to Rufus and Rustyrose gave him the chance he needed to finish Belcusas off, turning his legs into iron poles and crashing them down onto the monster's armored chest, "Iron Dragon's Guillotine!"

The armor shattered and the beast roared with pain, then cracked and simply fell apart. Gajeel landed in the remains and glared at the Sabertooth mages.

Rufus chuckled, "Well, well..I hadn't memorized that up until just now…"

Rustyrose snickered, "He's not bad, is he?"

"Well, geez. You might make me blush." Gajeel growled sarcastically.

The Sabertooth mages smirked as one and went on the offense again. Rufus swiped an arm in his opponent's direction, "Fanged Pillars of Turbulence!"

Several tornadoes blew in and surrounded Gajeel, closing in on him until he grinned and turned his arm into a sword, "Is this a joke?!"

He spun in a circle rapidly and used the iron blade to tear the whirlwinds apart. As he came to a stop, Rustyrose ran forward and slashed with the Ebony Sword again, but Gajeel sidestepped and swung a fist at him.

Suddenly, the Sabertooth mage flew straight up with a laugh, small wings attached to his shoes, "My feet have Pegasus Wings! Can you match this creativity?!"

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel answered with a bellow, sending up a spiraling twister of sharp iron shards.

Rustyrose quickly brought his left arm up, "Golden Shield!" The shield blocked the breath attack well, but the force still smashed Rustyrose into the ceiling.

While his partner was incapacitated, Rufus quickly stretched his arm out towards Black Steel with a singing cry, "Freezing Sword of Black Lightning!"

Several black lightning bolts struck the area around Gajeel, generating spiky formations of ice wherever they landed. Gajeel gritted his teeth as one of the bolts landed and froze his leg, but his turned his arm into an iron rod and extended it at Rufus, "Iron Dragon's Club!"

The Sabertooth mage's eyes widened as the attack hit him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards into the bookshelves, knocking several of them over. Gajeel broke free of the ice and stood at the ready as the two mages recovered from his counterattack.

Rufus dusted himself off, "I'm impressed. You landed a blow on me despite being attacked at the same time."

"Indeed. I'm rather enjoying this meal." Rustyrose sniggered, licking his lips with satisfaction.

Gajeel pointed a finger at the latter Sabertooth mage, "You creep me out, so you go down first."

Rustyrose raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Rufus chuckled, "You must be very confident if you willingly told us your plan of attack."

Now Gajeel raised an eyebrow, "Ah? I only told you who's kicking the bucket first. I never said how I'd go about it."

**/**

"Awesome! Gajeel is fighting off both Rufus and Rustyrose single-handedly! But will his power be enough to defeat both simultaneously?!"

The crowd yelled with excitement as the battle on the lacrima vision just heated up, becoming more and more volatile with every attack.

**/**

Happy and Frosch cheered, "Go for it, Gajeel!"

"Show em' who's on top!" Romeo added.

Levy nodded with a smile, "He's doing great!"

**/**

Rustyrose struck first this time, "Ebony Sword!"

Gajeel smirked as the claw-like sword extended towards him, "The same trick again?! Where's your creativity?!" He grabbed the sword as he dodged it and jumped, dragging Rustyrose off his feet before the Sabertooth mage was slammed into the ground.

While Gajeel was suspended in midair, Rufus attacked him from behind, "Starfall Night!"

The lightning rays flew out with blinding speed and crashed into Gajeel, who howled from the force, then spun around spitting as he landed on the ground and pointed his arm at Rufus, "Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!"

A rain of iron spikes shot towards the Sabertooth mage, who leaped back with great agility and dodged the attack. Rustyrose quickly kept the assault going, "Come to me, Tower of Dingir!"

Gajeel roared in shock as the huge tower was conjured from the earth and immobilized him, then shot up high and broke through the library roof before Rustyrose clicked his fingers with a grin, "This is the end, Iron Dragon! Scatter!"

Gajeel's eyes widened as the tower glowed bright, then generated a massive shockwave.

**/**

The spectators held onto each other as the second blast from the tower sent out another small earthquake. "Oh no! Gajeel was caught in the same attack Rustyrose used to defeat four mages earlier! Is this the end?!"

**/**

"Gajeel!" Levy cried.

Romeo gritted his teeth, "Damn, he got caught!"

Mavis bit her lip, "If he doesn't recover from that..and Rufus gets away…"

"Sabertooth will still have the edge here." Makarov finished.

**/**

The library pretty much fell apart after the blast wave was sent out. Rufus and Rustyrose watched the smoking remains calmly, satisfied with the results.

Rustyrose snickered quietly, "Well, he did some damage to us..so I suppose it was a better meal than those four kids from earlier."

"Ah?! You _suppose?!" _

The Sabertooth mage's eyes widened in surprise as Gajeel walked out of the rubble, shaken, but far from beaten. Black Steel glared at them and bared his fangs, "I can't have that. I'm gonna stuff you like a pig, you damn drama queen."

Rustyrose laughed, "Well! I'm honestly impressed! It's been quite a while since someone's recovered from the Tower of Dingir as well as you have."

Gajeel spit out a small amount of blood at his opponents, "My turn now, you bastards."

Rufus chuckled, "Your sharp senses are dulled, it seems, Black Steel. These last attacks..how you've been unable to defend…this battle is a song from us to you, your requiem. Carve it into your memories, that you cannot surpass Sabertooth."

Gajeel cackled loudly, "Gee-hehehehahahaha! Interesting! Let me tell _you _something now Mr. Tiger." His fangs were bared in a wolfish grin, "I've already memorized your strength..and it ain't enough..to put me down!"

Rustyrose held his hands out in an exasperated gesture, "Words, words, words! You're just talk!"

Gajeel cracked his neck and knuckles, then grinned maniacally at them, "Fair enough. Words aren't necessary anymore..because you won't ever forget how badly I'm about to crush you!"

With that last bold statement, Gajeel's body became covered in dragon scales, signaling that he'd entered Dragon Force.

Rufus's eyes narrowed, "This is…"

"I'm standing by my earlier promise." Gajeel growled, staring at Rustyrose, "You bite the dust first."

Rustyrose smirked, "You think that turning your body into that of a grotesque reptile will grant you the power necessary to defeat us?"

Black Steel started walking towards him, fists clenched and fangs bared while he spat, "I don't think. I _know…_This is more than enough to kick your ass!"

Gajeel roared and lunged with a new speed at Rustyrose, who quickly brought his left hand up, "Golden Shield!"

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel shouted, slamming an iron rod into the center of the shield with enough force to lift Rustyrose off the ground and slam him into the side of a building.

Cackling like a maniac, Gajeel pressed the assault and dragged the Sabertooth mage across the entire front of the building before flinging him away as Rufus went on the offensive, "Memory Make…Starfall Night!"

The lightning rays flew out and homed in on Gajeel, but he faced them with a grin and swatted them all out of the air with his bare hands, though he took one to the chest that exploded on contact. As the smoke cleared, Gajeel was revealed to be unaffected and grinning crazily at the Sabertooth mage, who was taken aback by his opponent's lack of a reaction.

**/**

"Turn around! Gajeel's got the upper hand again!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima nodded, "It would appear that he's entered Dragon Force..his power has increased substantially."

"So cool-Kabo!" Mato cheered.

**/**

Romeo shouted, "Hurry! Finish them off, Gajeel!"

Mavis clasped her hands, "He has to do this quickly before Rufus can analyze his new powers…"

"Gajeel.." Levy whispered, eyes fixed on the Iron Dragon.

**/**

Gajeel wasted no time and shot forwards, but missed Rufus at first due to the man's surprising agility. Black Steel was faster though, and managed to catch Rufus in midair and grab him by the face before hurling him into the street and taking a deep breath, "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

The Sabertooth mage howled as the iron breath caused some real damage and pummeled him into the street, but he managed to recover and stagger back, mind racing for a way to counter.

Rustyrose had also recovered from being dragged along the building and attacked Gajeel with his Ebony Sword.

Black Steel ducked and dodged, then came up and delivered a vicious uppercut to Rustyrose's jaw. The Sabertooth mage was lifted off the ground, but before he could fly, Gajeel hurled him at his teammate as Rufus struck out with another spell, "Karma of the Burning Earth!"

Flames erupted from the ground as Black Steel rushed them again, Rustyrose skidding to a stop just a little bit ahead of Rufus.

The flames were little deterrent for the Iron Dragon, who flew through them and brought his fist back with a bellow, "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"

Rustyrose screeched as Gajeel shattered his glasses and sent him flying into Rufus, making both of them crash to the ground as the Iron Dragon leaped up into the air and put his hands together, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"

A huge blade of iron was formed between his palms and lifted high up into the sky. Rustyrose and Rufus paled at the terrifying sight of the laughing Black Steel with a psychotic grin and a gigantic sword, making them flinch for just a second too long.

Gajeel brought the massive blade down with a roar, _"Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!" _

Both Sabertooth mages screeched from pain as the attack crushed them into the ground and decimated the area behind them in a straight line for almost one hundred meters.

When the dust from the huge attack finally cleared, Rufus and Rustyrose were out cold, lying in a crater with severe injuries. Gajeel ended his Dragon Force and smirked, "I dare you to forget _that _you damn tigers."

**/**

"Gajeel's done it! He actually defeated two of Sabertooth's elite single-handedly! Fairy Tail A Team earns two points for slaying Rufus and Rustyrose!"

The crowd cheered in delight for the victorious Iron Dragon, who on screen, took a seat and started eating fragments of metal from the destroyed buildings.

**/**

**1st. Fairy Tail A: 57+2=59**

**/**

Happy and Frosch gave each other a high-five, "Yay!"

Mavis smiled, "That was marvelously done."

Levy sighed in relief, "Glad that one's over…"

"Never doubted him for a second!" Bixlow cackled.

Freed nodded with a grin, "As expected of someone capable of defeating the Thunder God Tribe."

**/**

Chapati glanced at Yajima, "With this, Fairy Tail B Team is the only team left with all five members still in the game."

The old man nodded, "They've got the upper hand."

Mato was a little shocked, "Saber got beat?!"

**/**

Orga saw his comrade's defeat and smirked, "That's pretty sad, getting taken down one on two like that."

**/**

Alexei stared at the lacrima vision, focusing on the Iron Dragon as he chewed on some metal, "Not bad, Gajeel…"

**/**

Minerva sighed with an easygoing air, "Is Sabertooth going to fall here? Or is Zancrow going to…"

**/**

Zancrow also saw Rufus and Rustyrose fall, but cared very little for it, "Fairy Tail's strong…I already know that, but..I won't stop fighting until you fall at my hands, Natsu…"

He closed his eyes, thinking back to the other night.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Gemma collapsed to the ground, choking on blood as his innards were roasted by Zancrow's black fire. _

_The Flame God glared down at him mercilessly, "How dare you speak of harming them with such vile methods..with your filthy hands…" _

_His guild mates were in shock at his actions. _

_Orga stepped forward with a stunned voice, "O-oi, Zancrow!" _

_Rustyrose snorted disdainfully, "Oh perfect, now there's a mess." _

_"That's enough." _

_Everyone stared as Minerva stepped forwards, motioning for Dobengal to release Meredy. The girl, uncertain of what to do, chose to retreat so she stood behind Zancrow, though she was still in shock at his remorseless attack to the Sabertooth Master. _

_Minerva sighed, "It would appear that my father's reign of terror ends here..Zancrow has made short work of him, so that makes him a worthy candidate to become the new Master." _

_Gemma, barely alive and struggling to breathe, glared up at her furiously, "Minerva..you bitch, just..just what do you…" _

_"Silence. Losers have no say. Have the decency to follow your own rules." Gemma gritted his teeth in anger, but said nothing more._

_Minerva faced Zancrow with a smile, "Zancrow, your loss to the White Dragon..is a shining example of the power of emotions." _

_The Flame God's eyes narrowed, "The power of emotions?" _

_"Yes. You were unwittingly conditioned by my father. "Friends are useless." "Absolute power is all…" Minerva shook her head, "Nothing could be further from the truth. That isn't the man you are. The proof lies in the massive power you unleashed in an effort to save Meredy and Romeo. Now that you've attained that power, you can surpass not just Sting, but also Natsu." _

_Zancrow stared at her, but part of what she said was true. He could feel energy surging through his veins in a way he hadn't felt since he'd left Fairy Tail. No, from even before that, but he couldn't recall…_

_Shaking his head to clear the foggy memories, Zancrow sighed, "Minerva, I just-" _

_"Do not fear. I will not bring harm to them." she reassured, gesturing to Meredy as the girl remained behind the Flame God for defense, "All I ask is that you fight in the final battle. While my father was a fool, I still think that Sabertooth should be the top guild. And you still need to destroy Natsu to achieve your true potential." _

_Zancrow glared at her, "And what if I say to hell with Sabertooth and let you fight without me?"_

_Minerva's smile was sadistic, "I assure you, you do not want to know. I will allow Meredy to leave this place as an act of good faith, but if you try to cross me or leave before the tournament is over, believe me, I will hunt her down. I have never lost my prey before, you know this." _

_The guild members shifted uneasily while Zancrow glared at Minerva with a dark anger, but it was lined with caution. he knew of Minerva's strength and her tendency to, "Play" with her food. He couldn't let Meredy be subject to her whims when the girl had done nothing wrong and was here entirely because of him. _

_Zancrow finally sighed and gave in, meeting Minerva's gaze with a calmer look, "What do you want me to do?" _

_"Zancrow…" _

_Behind him, Meredy spoke with concern, but he glanced back at her, "Please be quiet, Meredy." _

_Minerva presented a confident smirk, "Prove that you've grown stronger. I will not guarantee Meredy's safety until we've won the Grand Magic Games. Show everyone that you are a stronger Fire mage than Natsu and destroy him." _

_"That's not what I mean." Zancrow muttered, "An act of good faith? You wouldn't let Meredy go unless you wanted something else." _

_Minerva chuckled darkly, "Sharp as always, I see. Very well, this is what I want in return for allowing Meredy's freedom…"_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Zancrow continued walking down the streets, eyes dark and fists clenched as he readied himself for the inevitable confrontation. _Meredy…Don't worry. I won't lose. You're in this mess because of me. Victory shall be mine..at any cost. _

He got to the center of the park and glanced around when he heard a noise, then a mass of sand suddenly spiraled around him and exploded, sending the Flame God skidding back as Kurohebi appeared with a creepy smile.

Zancrow sighed, "Not who I wanted to see, but you'll make a good warm up for Natsu."

"A warm up?" Kurohebi sniggered.

They stood tensely, preparing to lunge at each other until there was a cry and a spiral of energy flew at them, "Kitten Blast!"

The two mages leaped back from each other as the energy whipped and exploded at their feet, then turned to face the newcomer.

Milianna grinned at them, "Hey, boys. Wanna make this a threesome?"

Despite the situation, Zancrow snorted with laughter at the girl's description.

Kurohebi snickered darkly, "Kitten…"

Milianna glanced at the Raven Tail mage, "Cats eat snakes."

"Well, Gods create and destroy everything, so I guess that puts me at the top." Zancrow remarked.

**/**

"It seems we have a three way fight between Sabertooth, Raven Tail, and Mermaid Heel!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima noted the competitors and spoke into his mic, "It would appear out of the three that Zancrow probably has the upper hand."

"Kurohebi's pretty good too!" Mato said.

Chapati glanced at them, "I don't think we should forget about Milianna, though."

**/**

The three mages looked ready to rush each other until more voices made them freeze, "Oi, hold up there."

"Don't start without us!"

Zancrow slowly turned around and narrowed his eyes at the newcomers.

Natsu and Lisanna had arrived.

The Salamander grinned, "Wow, big crowd. Let's split it up a bit, okay?"

Lisanna smiled fiercely, "I'll take Milianna. I like cats too, you know."

Milianna grinned at the suggestion, "Oh? I like the sound of that!"

Zancrow glared at Natsu, "It's about damn time I met you."

"Right back at cha', blondie." Natsu growled, meeting the dark gaze with his onyx eyes.

Kurohebi chuckled, "Salamander…"

Said mage glanced past Zancrow and eyed the Raven Tail mage distastefully, "Snake…"

**/**

"Oh! Before it's even begun, the fight's taken an incredible turn! Now Lisanna and Milianna are about to go at it while we've got a three way between Fairy Tail's Natsu, Sabertooth's Zancrow, and Raven Tail's Kurohebi!"

Quite honestly, the crowd was beyond thrilled, screaming with anticipation.

**/**

Elsewhere in the city, Erza and Mira were going at it with everything they had, destroying buildings and various other parts of Crocas in their rivalry driven battle.

Erza shot past Mira, slashing with her Soaring Armor, but the Demon flew up in her Halphas Soul and dodged effortlessly, commenting as she turned to face Titania again, "Is that all you've got, Erza?"

"Far from it, Mirajane!"

Erza retorted, going into her Morning Star Armor while her opponent charged a sphere of glittering purple and blue energy, then fired it with a shout, "Cosmic Beam!"

"Venus Photon Slicer!" Erza yelled, pointing her swords and releasing a large shockwave from them.

The two masses of energy met and pushed against each other for several moments before generating a massive explosion that engulfed both mages. Erza and Mira did however, emerge from the resulting blast relatively unscathed and hungry for more.

**/**

As he watched, Makarov face palmed, "Those two..they'll destroy the entire city before they're satisfied…"

"Well, it's a good thing they're both so durable." Macao muttered, "Maybe after they finish destroying Crocas they'll go whip Sabertooth's ass."

**/**

Erza requipped to her Black Wing Armor while Mira went back to her standard Satan Soul, the two of them lunging at each other, then freezing in surprise when a wormhole opened up between them and two hands shot out to grab both girls by the face and fling them away.

Erza and Mira hit the ground hard and skidded away while Minerva landed with incredibly agile reflexes and backed away some so she wasn't trapped between them.

**/**

The stadium just about shrieked, "WHAT?!"

**/**

Mavis's eyes widened, "Minerva?! But..she shouldn't..Ur should be fighting her!"

"Rufus must have given her Ur's coordinates before he was knocked out." Makarov muttered.

Romeo gulped, "How'd she find Erza and Mira?!"

Macao sighed, "Son, they're blowing up the city. It's not that hard to find them, even if you aren't looking…"

Happy scratched his head, "Who would _want _to find a pissed off Erza and Mira and then fight them? That lady's got a screw knocked loose."

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch agreed.

**/**

Minerva smirked at the Fairy Tail mages as they stood up and recovered from her initial attack, "Mind if we make this a threesome?"

Erza and Mira said nothing, just glared at the woman fiercely.

**/**

"It's become a battle royale! We've got a pair of three-way fights lined up simultaneously! Who's going to claim the victor's crown?!"


	49. Threesomes

**Okay! Nice battle chapter here, but the real action gets started next chapter! Chapter 50 will be a full blown battle between Natsu and Zancrow, so I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 49: Threesomes_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 54pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

"The fights are heating up in the Grand Magic War Game! We've got two three way fights about to begin at this very moment!" Chapati glanced at Mato, "Is it okay for them to be destroying so much of the city?" The pumpkin man nodded, "Don't worry! I'll fix it up tomorrow with magic good as new and no one will be the wiser!"

Zancrow glared between Natsu and Kurohebi, "Your guilds have made Sabertooth really unsteady. I'm going to crush where you stand right here and now." Kurohebi chuckled, "Oh?" "How about you just stop flapping your gums and start talking with your fists." Natsu growled.

Minerva sneered at Erza and Mirajane, shaking her head with a sigh, "Honestly, I can't believe such a dusty old guild from seven years ago has given Sabertooth such trouble…" Erza glanced away, "You talk too much." Mira nodded, "We never finished our fight from the third day, Minerva. This is where we settle things." The Sabertooth mage smirked, "That's right, we didn't conclude our match, did we? Very well, Mirajane, Erza. Let's see if you live up to the titles of Titania and the Demon."

Rufus was lying in the rubble of the destroyed street after his loss to Gajeel. He smiled to himself since Rustyrose was still out cold several meters away, "Erza..Mirajane..Natsu..Kurohebi..I've memorized all your strengths. Too bad…you cannot defeat Minerva and Zancrow. Even though Minerva is seen as the Master's daughter, her prowess as a mage is unrivaled in Sabertooth. Well, _was _unrivaled, since now Zancrow is…"

Natsu glanced to the side where Lisanna and Milianna were facing off, "Oi, you two might wanna back up a bit. This is gonna get ugly." Lisanna nodded, "Be careful." She then led Milianna off towards a street several blocks away. Kurohebi smirked, "Shall we begin?" "Didn't I just say to talk with your fists?" Natsu hissed. Zancrow snorted, "Enough. Let's go." The three mages glared at each other, their bodies taut like a bowstring ready to fire an arrow.

The stadium held it's breath as the three prepared to engage each other, all eyes locked on the scenes.

They lunged at each other in unison, cloaking their fists with flames colored red, black, and purple. Natsu narrowed his eyes at Kurohebi's flame. _Macao's Purple Flare? _The three fists crashed into each other and generated a large explosion of heat before they pulled back for the next exchange. Natsu swung a backhand at Kurohebi, who ducked and dodged as the Salamander then swung at Zancrow. The Flame God blocked his attack with ease, then proceeded to hurl a black fireball at Natsu and send him sprawling. Kurohebi shot forwards and punched him as his fist rippled with shadows, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Zancrow reeled away from the blow that caught him in the throat, but Natsu went on the attack next, cloaking himself in fire and shooting forwards to headbutt Kurohebi in the chest, "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" The Raven Tail mage was sent flying away, but skidded to a stop as Natsu attempted to follow up and tripped the Salamander with an explosion of sand, "Sand Rebellion!" Natsu hit the ground with a grunt as the breath was knocked out of him, but when Kurohebi stood up, his eyes widened at Zancrow, who was suddenly in his face while taking a deep breath, "Flame God's Bellow!"

Kurohebi got a face full of black fire and was blasted away. Natsu managed to avoid the flames and leaped up to attack Zancrow from above. The Flame God glared up at him, "Nice try-argh!" Kurohebi flashed past him with sharp claws that slashed wildly, "Super Paralysis Claws Mega Mega Jellyfish!" Zancrow staggered from the blow, but then Natsu came down and kicked him in the jaw, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" The Flame God was sent sprawling as Kurohebi spun around and put two fingers to his opposite palm, "Ih Ragdo!" Both Natsu and Zancrow were enveloped in a mass of wave energy that immobilized them. Zancrow's eyes widened, "Minerva's War God Magic?!" Kurohebi wove his hands and created three intricate purple magic seals in the shape of circles one in front of the other on either side of the trapped mages. Two other circular seals appeared above and below them, stunning Natsu, "That's..!"

Makarov was shocked, "That's Hades's Magic!" "One of the Amaterasu Formulas?!" Mavis gasped.

Kurohebi cackled as the seals glowed brightly, "Amaterasu 100 Formula!" A gigantic explosion roared out, generating a massive spherical shockwave that annihilated the nearby buildings.

The stadium was speechless from the sheer scale of the blast.

Lisanna and Milianna stopped trying to claw each other and stared in amazement at the huge shockwave.

Gajeel paused with iron in his mouth as the explosion shook the earth, "The hell?!"

Jura glanced in the direction of the blast, "Well, well…that's a surprise…"

Laxus stopped walking for a moment, then kept going.

"So..Alexei wasn't the only mage Raven Tail had like that, huh…" Ur muttered.

Alexei snorted, "Kurohebi..his quiet personality without fail leaves his opponents surprised when he reveals a technique they weren't expecting. Even though he rather enjoys playing around, his strength as a mage is only surpassed in Raven Tail by myself and Obra…"

Kurohebi watched with a smirk as the smoke cleared, exposing the Salamander and the Flame God to his vision, but the two simply glared at him, unshaken and unflinching.

The judges just about shrieked, "UNFAZED?!" In the crowd, gasps of admiration and disbelief were heard all over. "They're really okay!" "What's with those three, that's insane…" "SICK!"

Romeo gulped, "They're even..?" Makarov was sweating with shock, "Damn you Ivan, you really did meet Hades…" "The fight's not over." Mavis pointed out, "That spell wasn't on the same level as Hades's magic. Have faith, Natsu can still defeat them."

Kurohebi chuckled, "I see…fascinating…to think that such a high level spell had so little effect on you…" "I liked you better when you were quiet." Zancrow muttered darkly. Natsu cracked his neck, "Seriously, that was really over the top..what a pain in my ass." Kurohebi arched an eyebrow at that, "Oh? Am I being underestimated?" Natsu shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I don't need to be serious to defeat you." "Oh, I am…Well then…" Kurohebi sniggered and brought his hands together to create a sphere of darkness, "Grimoire Law…think you can withstand this spell, Salamander?" Natsu narrowed his eyes irritably, then sighed, "I guess we're about to find out." Kurohebi's smile became sadistic with glee. Zancrow glanced at him, then at Natsu. _A trap? _Kurohebi cackled as he clapped his hands together, "Grimoire Law…Invoke!" As the darkness started to surge with power, Natsu shot forward while his flames crackled with lightning, slamming his fist into Kurohebi's face as he roared, "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" The darkness faded instantly as the Raven Tail mage was crushed into the ground with such force that a crater almost thirty feet across was formed. Zancrow's jaw dropped in disbelief.

Screams of shock sounded in the colosseum, "EEEEHHHHHH?!"

Natsu grinned as he removed his fist from Kurohebi's face, "You're pretty strong, but I already know how bad your defense is thanks to the First Master. You're a snake without scales. As long as you take a solid hit, you can't stay up." Kurohebi's nose was broken in several places with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Completely unconscious.

**2nd. Fairy Tail B: 56+1=57**

"U-u-unbelievable! Natsu just…he _destroyed_ Kurohebi?!" Chapati shrieked.

Makarov was so shocked it took him a second to find his voice, "..Dear..lord…" Mavis giggled, "Yes..that's the Lightning Flame Dragon's real strength. The second day, he was recovering from the initial effects of eating lightning, so his power had been substantially reduced. Now he's back up to 100%. Not even the Flame God Slayer can match that power." "AWESOME! NATSU!" Happy cheered wildly. Romeo was stunned, "Holy crap..he was _that _strong this whole time?!"

Bacchus grinned nervously, "Well, damn kid. I think I'll need to train a bit more before having another shot at beating you."

Alexei stared at the screen, at Kurohebi's motionless form, and muttered to himself, "..Goddamn Makarov and those dragons…"

Lisanna and Milianna watched the lacrima vision and saw Natsu annihilate Kurohebi. Lisanna smiled, "And _that's _what it means to get all fired up!" "As expected of one of Erza's comrades..ehehe.." Milianna laughed nervously, still a little subdued by the sheer power the Salamander had used. _Boy am I glad he told us to back up a bit..yeesh…_

Natsu turned to face Zancrow, "Now it's just us…Flame Go-" "Hold it." Zancrow recovered from the initial shock of seeing Kurohebi get wiped out by the Salamander and glared back, "As of this very moment..you aren't the Salamander and I'm not the Flame God. We're just two monsters…" Natsu hissed with satisfaction, "Heh. You've got that fighting look in your eyes…nice." Their bodies rippled with red and black flames, while lightning sparked across Natsu's form. Zancrow stared at his opponent for a moment more, then shot forward with his fist wrapped in intense black fire. Natsu waited for him to get close, then grabbed his wrist to dodge before slamming his lightning-flame enhanced fist into the back of the Flame God's head and pummeling him into the ground. Zancrow grunted from pain and shock.

The spectators were in danger of losing their eyeballs, which very nearly popped out of their heads from disbelief.

Chapati hardly managed to stammer, "D..des..troyed…again…" "I am without speech…" Yajima muttered. Mato's jaw had hit the floor, "Holy crap-pepo…" "You're using the wrong catch phrase!" Chapati shrieked.

"That's it. I've seen it all, now." Makarov managed to say with a straight face. Most of his guild was in utter shock at just how overwhelming Natsu was being, but Max managed to voice their thoughts, "WHAT THE HELL IS HE?!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow as he stared down at Zancrow, "Oi..you're not done, are you?" The Flame God didn't move at first, so he knelt down and prodded his arm, "Oi. Get up. I wanna fight mo-gah!" Zancrow suddenly got up and delivered a vicious uppercut to Natsu's jaw, sending him sprawling away. Staggering to his feet, Zancrow spat and glared at the Salamander, "Did you actually think you could one shot me?!" Natsu grinned, "No, that's why I was worried. I thought maybe I'd broken your neck or something." Zancrow snorted, black flames licking his body angrily, "Break my neck, my ass! I'll give you a taste of your own medicine, you damn dragon!" Natsu's grin got huge, "Alright! I'm all fired up!"

"Oh! Zancrow's back up! He's still in!" Chapati exclaimed. Yajima nodded, "I thought it was odd that he'd been defeated so easily." "Awesome-Kabo!" Mato cheered. Yajima glanced at another screen, "What's happening with Erza, Mira, and Minerva?"

As it turned out, the three of them were going at it like madwomen, devastating sections of the city with every punch, slash, and blast of magic. Erza and Mira held no quarter for each other, attacking each other just as fiercely as they attacked Minerva. There was no indication they were about to team up. There was no indication they would help each other, period. The old rivalry was making their blood boil unlike anything they'd felt for years.

The three mages separated after another fierce bout of close combat. Erza panted hard, her Black Wing Armor breaking up as she caught her breath. Mira was down on one knee, nursing an injury to her arm from Minerva's War God Magic. The Sabertooth mage was no better off, perhaps breathing just a bit easier, but she had a slice from Erza's sword across her leg. After catching her breath, Minerva smirked, "I see..you two are..more durable than I anticipated." Erza and Mira glared at her as the Sabertooth mage tossed her fur collar aside, "There'll be no end to this if I keep toying with you…So.." To her opponent's surprise, she turned and started walking away. Mira shouted at her, "Where do you think you're going?!" Minerva glanced over her shoulder, "I have no intention of falling here, but if I continue fighting against the two of you, I will not have enough strength for the real fight that I desire. So I'll leave you two to bicker." Erza narrowed her eyes, "How shameful..you were the one who interrupted our fight to begin with!" "And now I'm leaving you to fight. Be honored that I openly admit I could not best the both of you unscathed." Minerva said simply, then disappeared into another wormhole. Mira stared after her for a moment, then stood up and shook her head, "Whatever." "Indeed." Erza grunted.

Chapati frowned, "What could Minerva be thinking, just abandoning the fight at this point?" Yajima scratched his head, "Umm..maybe she has a plan?"

Makarov's eyes narrowed, "I don't like how she just left them in the middle of that fight." "I agree." Mavis said with a nod. Cana laughed, "Who can blame her?! Fighting those two at the same time is a nightmare!" Frosch put her paws together, "Fro wonders if Rogue and the others are okay…" Makarov sighed, "We can only wait and believe in them."

Sting glanced around the cave while he supported Arcadios, "Is the exit really around here?" Lucy scratched her head, "Should we really trust what the Garou Knights said? Yukino and I need to find our keys, pronto." "That won't be necessary." The group jumped as Loke suddenly appeared, all twelve keys in his hands. After giving Yukino her five and returning Lucy's seven, he did what he did best: Flirt, "Master, it's great to see you again! Shall we go on a date? This cave is dark, but that fits a good mood-" "Here playboy, make yourself useful." Sting growled, giving the Lion Spirit Arcadios's weakened body. Yukino glanced at the man, who had fallen unconscious after the encounter with the Garou Knights from his injuries, "Is he alright?" Rogue, who was being supported by her and Lily, sighed, "Well, he's seen better days, but…" Wendy held up an amulet the White Knight had in his possession, "It was probably thanks to this jade amulet. It's a really strong protection charm." The Sky Sorceress gasped in realization, "Jade! Just like that dragon! Jade Dragon Zealconis!" Rogue narrowed his eyes, "If I remember right, the princesses's name is also Hisui…Jade."

"..You should meet her once we get out." The group paused as Arcadios woke up, glancing at the Celestial mages, "She knows more about Eclipse than I..whether it's the right path or not, is something you must decide for yourselves." Sting scratched his head, "Why the hell did she dump you down here in the first place?" "Either way, it'd be best to escape from here and let the others at the tournament know we're okay." Lily muttered. Lector stopped and pointed, "Hey, look! It's a door!" Wendy gasped excitedly, "That must be the exit!" Sting cracked his knuckles, "Leave this one to me!" He shot forward and brought his fist back, "White Dragon's…" There was a click as the door unlocked, making the White Dragon's eyes widen when it started to open. Sting skidded to a stop just before he got to the door, but froze entirely when he came face to face with a hooded figure. The people behind him stared at the newcomer, who said nothing as Sting slowly lowered his fist and looked them over carefully, then muttered, "…Who are you?"

Hisui was walking down the halls when a soldier ran up, "Princess! There's trouble! There's a report saying that all of the Garou Knights have been obliterated!" Her escort was shocked, "Impossible! At the hands of a few mages?!" Hisui let out a quiet sight of relief. _I knew it…_"Such a face is rather inappropriate." Hisui froze and spun around as Darton walked up, "So it all went as you planned, did it not?" The princess took a step back nervously, "You were supposed to accompany his majesty to the tournament…" "I had a strange premonition and decided to come back…" The old man sighed, "And sure enough, this happens." Hisui bit her lip, "I don't appreciate your tone..In fact, I'd like to know why you threw Arcadios into that hell hole without even a trial!" Darton ignored her and finished his statement, "And to save him, you utilized Fairy Tail, didn't you, princess?" Hisui hesitated, but knew he was right.

Darton shook his head, "I knew it, the one pulling the strings behind the Eclipse Plan was you all along. Arcadios really has done a fine job making me despise him..and all so he could hide the real mastermind behind the whole thing." The princess knew she was caught and looked away, "As expected, you've seen everything…" The Secretary of Defense nodded, "Princess, please reconsider. Trying to change history will have dire consequences." "I'm afraid we have no choice to proceed as planned." Hisui said simply. Darton raised an eyebrow, "I'm afraid?" Hisui half-closed her eyes, "I-I've promised a certain individual that I'd keep my lips sealed, but…I suppose this is a good time to fill you in..about the Eclipse 2 Plan." Darton's eyes grew wide, "2?!" Hisui nodded, "it's the real Eclipse Plan. Should it fail..tomorrow, this country will no longer exist…"


	50. Natsu vs Zancrow

**Wow, 50 chapters! Well, I took this little uh..achievement I guess you could call it as a chance to change how I wrote! For those of you who always tell me that my paragraphs are too big and the speech needs to be separated, here you go! I'd like to think I did it right, but if I'm missing something, then please let me know! But as always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 50: Natsu vs Zancrow_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=4**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 54pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Natsu and Zancrow faced off, glaring at each other with intense eyes of onyx and red.

The Salamander growled, "Let's do this." As he spoke, flames and lightning crackled over his body.

Zancrow pulled his fist back and covered it with rippling black fire, "Get ready, Natsu!"

The two of them rushed and punched at each other, fists meeting in an explosion of heat and lightning. As they connected, Natsu swiftly grabbed Zancrow's wrist and yanked him forward, his other arm raised to clothesline the Flame God. Zancrow leaned back as far as he could and managed to dodge, then twisted the arm Natsu still had in his grasp and gripped the Salamander's arm instead. He pulled up to offset Natsu's balance and right himself, then drove his knee into the Salamander's back. Natsu coughed from the force of the blow, but used the momentum to spin around and elbow him in the jaw. Zancrow recoiled, spitting more red, but leaped away as Natsu rushed again and slammed his fist into the ground with his lightning and flame enhanced fist.

Zancrow took a deep breath and shouted, "Flame God's Bellow!"

A surge of black fire left his mouth and enveloped the area where Natsu was standing, but the Salamander jumped up and over the burning torrent so he was poised over Zancrow in midair, a sphere of flame and lightning in his hands.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" he roared, throwing the huge mass of flame and lightning at his opponent.

Zancrow quickly created a sphere of black fire in his hands and used it to counter, "Flame God's Kagetsuchi!"

The two huge fireballs collided and generated a huge explosion, sending Natsu, who was still above the blast, further up into the air, while Zancrow was slammed into the ground with such force that the wind was knocked out of him.

**/**

"What an intense battle! Natsu and Zancrow are going at it with no holds barred! Who's going to come out on top?! The Salamander, or the Flame God?!" Chapati spoke into his mic, igniting the spectators in the colosseum into an enthusiastic roar of excitement.

Romeo gulped, "They both use the same magic..I guess the only thing that decides the winner is who's got more magic power…"

Happy grinned, "Then it's Natsu, for sure!"

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chirped.

Mavis nodded, "If Natsu didn't have the Lightning Flame Dragon, I would put their odds of victory at about fifty fifty, but in this situation, Natsu definitely has the advantage."

**/**

Zancrow rolled onto his back to look up at the sky and catch his breath, then froze as he saw Natsu diving down full speed with a fist aiming straight for his head. The Flame God hurriedly kept rolling so he was on his belly and pushed off with his arms, leaping back as Natsu crashed into the ground with his fist and formed a large crater where his head had been just moments ago.

Natsu stood up from where he'd destroyed the ground and glanced at the Flame God as he skidded to a stop, "You dodged it this time…"

Zancrow's eyes narrowed, "So I did. I'm not about to lose to that same trick again. Are you just going to stop, or can we keep going?" His body became enveloped in his black fire as he stood back up.

The Salamander grinned, "Fair enough. Now give me everything you got!"

They remained still for a moment, then shot forward, engaging each other in a fierce bout of close combat. Zancrow's black fire did damage with every blow, but at the same time, Natsu's flames, enhanced with lightning, also delivered powerful strikes when the flames themselves normally would have had no effect on the God Slayer. Zancrow was really feeling the pressure, as Natsu was forcing him back slowly, but surely with the Lightning Flame's greater power.

He leaped back as Natsu swung an uppercut and glanced at the sky. _Almost time…_

"You're open!" Natsu roared, catching the Flame God in the chest with his fist, "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Zancrow howled as he was sent flying into a building, crashing through one side and out the other into the street where he rolled to a stop.

The Flame God spat on the ground and looked up at a lacrima screen of Erza and Mira fighting. The two girls were getting exhausted from their relentless attacks on each other. Zancrow staggered to his feet. _Now! It has to happen now! While Natsu isn't attacking me!_

Natsu walked through the destroyed building and out the other side, where Zancrow was standing and waiting for him. He narrowed his eyes, "What are you up to?"

Zancrow set his mouth in a line, "Sorry, Natsu. It's all part of the plan, you see. Take a look." He pointed out to the side above the buildings, where to Natsu's surprise, he could see Orga on the rooftops several streets away. The Lightning God took a deep breath and released a breath attack straight up into the air, but even more shocking was that the breath formed lightning clouds that rolled over the city.

**/**

In the stadium, the crowds muttered in surprise and wonderment as the huge black lightning clouds rumbled over Crocas.

Mavis's eyes narrowed, "What is..?"

Natsu glanced back to the Flame God, "Okay, you've made a thunderstorm. Now what?"

Zancrow sighed, "I really hate Minerva's little plan. It's not a good way to win, just sniping off everyone at once, but I've got my reasons for going through with her plan."

"Snipe off everyone? What do you mean?" Natsu growled.

The Flame God met his gaze evenly, "Minerva's a lot smarter than you give her credit for, Natsu. Do you think she'd send me out here without a solid way to defeat you?" As he spoke, the black flames started crackling.

Natsu's eyes grew wide, "What..? You've got to be kidding me…"

Zancrow tilted his head sideways and grinned, "That's right..I ate Orga's black lightning…The answer to your Lightning Flame Dragon is this Lightning Flame God..."

**/**

"Oh! This is definitely a shock! Zancrow seems to possess the same power as Natsu!" Chapati exclaimed.

Makarov paled, "..This isn't going to end well for us, is it?"

"A Lightning Flame.._God_..?" Romeo gasped.

**/**

Natsu was still very much surprised, but he kept his voice even, "Hold on, I don't understand you. It's great and all that you can use the same powers as me now, but what do you mean by, "Snipe off everyone at once?"

As Zancrow spoke, his hands came together and started charging massive amounts of black flame and lightning, "Even though everyone knows where he is now, there's a reason why Orga created that storm cloud up there. The lightning from his magic can resonate with mine now, and since it's all over the city, it picks up on the electric fields of every living thing under it's shadow. So as of this moment, I know where every single competitor in this game is."

"So fascinating." Natsu said dryly, "Now speak english."

Zancrow smirked, "If I know where they all are..and could hit them all at once…how many do you think would go down from a surprise attack they can't see coming?"

Now Natsu froze. The energy in Zancrow's hands suddenly registered and he felt a chill go down his spine as he realized what the Lightning Flame God was shooting for. The Salamander didn't say another word and just rushed him, but it was too late.

Zancrow pointed his hands to the sky and let the mass of lightning and flame soar up into the clouds with a bellow, "Lightning Flame God's Meteoric Ballistae!"

The mass of energy rose up into the clouds, then exploded into a swarm of flaming black lightning bolts, which rained down on the city and the unsuspecting competitors.

Minerva and Orga, expecting the attack, leaped aside to dodge it, smirking all the while.

Laxus seemed to recognize the threat and hurled a lightning bolt at the oncoming assault to assure he wouldn't be struck.

Ur created a shield of ice, recovering from her surprise quickly to block the bolt that came down at her.

Jura also effortlessly blocked with a flick of his fingers that brought a stone pillar up to intercept Zancrow's attack.

From there on, everyone else wasn't fortunate enough to dodge.

Kagura gritted her teeth from shock as the burning thunderbolt crashed into her body. _?! An ambush?!_

Gajeel roared in pain as the attack slammed into him, but he quickly staggered to his feet, spitting and hissing.

Elfman bellowed as he was struck, but kept his footing and breathed heavily to recover. He glared up at Orga, who was still on a rooftop in his vision. _He did this..._

Alexei just paused as the blow hit him, grunting from the force, but otherwise unaffected. He looked himself over afterwards…_It would appear..this attack is more effective in numbers..but the force would be enough to bring down weakened opponents or weaken those who have yet to take significant damage..._

Obra staggered back as he was hit, but he also managed to recover.

Lisanna and Milianna cried out as they both were hit while in the middle of their fight. The girls collapsed for a moment, then struggled to their feet, staring around wildly. Milianna gasped, "Wh-what was..?!"

Erza and Mira were struck too, aiming their attacks at each other when the flame enhanced lightning bolts rained down. They were totally caught by surprise, not even crying as the bolts crashed into them and brought them to their knees. Stunned and now effectively paralyzed from electrocution and their earlier injuries, Erza and Mira fell to their sides and though they struggled to get back up, they'd had it after getting sniped. Both of them were unconscious before they hit the ground.

**/**

The colosseum was in utter shock.

Chapati shrieked into his mic, "Th-th-thi-this is-! Incredible! Zancrow just..! He attacked every active person in the city and did damage to all but a few! To top it off, Erza and Mira are now immobile! He defeated them from the other end of Crocas?!"

**3rd-2nd. Sabertooth: 54+2=56**

Mavis was frozen in shock, "That's…not.."

"That man..it seems we've miscalculated his range of attack…" Makarov muttered, thoroughly stunned and honestly impressed with the sheer scale of Zancrow's aerial assault.

Happy sniffed, "Erza and Mira..? No way..It can't be…"

**/**

Natsu took the final bolt, but he just hissed in pain and rage. _This guy..! He shot down everyone in the city with a single attack?! _

Zancrow stared at the lacrima vision and saw Erza and Mira go down, nodding to himself, "Good. Minerva tired them out enough for the bolts to finish them off..I honestly wasn't sure if this was going to be powerful enough to defeat them."

"You bastard…" Natsu breathed, utterly furious that he'd allowed Zancrow to defeat his teammates and hit the others in the city because he'd been too slow to react.

The Lightning Flame God turned to face him, "Now..I can only use that attack once, so from here on..it's just you and me!"

Natsu said nothing, just roared as he lunged at his opponent again.

The two Lightning Flame mages crashed into each other, swinging punch after punch and delivering kick after kick in a frenzy, both unwilling to give in to the other.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu roared, slamming his fist into Zancrow's jaw with an uppercut.

"Lightning Flame God's Crashing Strike!" Zancrow retaliated, bashing Natsu in the head with his own fierce punch of black flame and lightning.

Natsu skidded back from the force of the blow as Zancrow hurled a mass of energy at him, "Lightning Flame God's Heavenly Kagetsuchi!"

The Salamander answered with a huge sphere of flame and lightning, "Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" The two masses of magic collided and generated an explosion that enveloped the entire street, decimating everything in it's path.

**/**

Happy was frozen, "Natsu..is he getting beat..?"

Mavis bit her lip, "If you calculate the boost in power a fusion spell brings and apply it to both sides…at this point, Zancrow is the one with the advantage.."

Natsu staggered to his feet after getting crushed into the side of a building, but to his surprise, Zancrow was up in the air and taking a deep breath, "Lightning Flame God's…" The Salamander quickly brought his arms up to block the attack as the God Slayer released a mass of energy from his mouth, "Bellow!" The street was blown apart, from effectively destroying the entire block with it's sheer force and power.

Zancrow landed on his feet, gasping from the exertion of the fusion spell and stared at the huge cloud of smoke where Natsu had disappeared in. His eyes wandered the destroyed area, but when he saw no movement, he deactivated his Lightning Flame Mode, knowing it used up a lot of his magic power. Turning away, he called over his shoulder, "This is the difference between us, Natsu. I've surpassed you, at last…"

"…Have you now?"

The God Slayer froze and spun around as Natsu walked out of the rubble, definitely battered and shaken, but still standing, glaring fiercely at his enemy, "I'm not going down so easily, Zancrow. Don't underestimate Fairy Tail...Didn't I tell you the same thing seven years ago?"

Zancrow tch'd and started sparking again with flame and black lightning, "This time I'll make sure you don't get up!" He roared and charged Natsu, but the Salamander just waited as he approached. The God Slayer hesitated, then his eyes widened in shock as his fusion spell dissipated and he fell to his knees with a gasp.

Natsu stared down at him, "You only got this Mode yesterday, right? If you had it during your match against Sting and Rogue, you would've used it…But you still haven't recovered from the effects of eating lightning, so you aren't at full power…"

The Flame God bit his lip and ignited his body with black fire, lunging up to punch at Natsu, "So what?! I'm still powerful enough to defeat you! Natsu!"

The Salamander caught the blow easily with his hand and brought his other fist back, crackling with flame and lightning as he grinned, "You know, Zancrow? You were a lot scarier as a kid. Sorry, but I'm not losing this fight." The Flame God's eyes widened as Natsu released his fist to charge that hand with energy as well with a growl, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art, revision…" Natsu's eyes flashed and he started hammering Zancrow with blow after blow as he roared at the top of his lungs, "Crimson Lotus: Lightning Flame Dragon Fist!"

Zancrow howled from the rain of attacks before Natsu ended the relentless blows with a final, devastating uppercut that sent the Flame God crashing into the side of a building and out into the street on the other side. He tried to stand, but slumped to the ground in defeat, utterly spent. _Damn..I'm..I'm sorry, Meredy…I wasn't strong..enough…_

**2nd. Fairy Tail B: 57+1=58**

******/**

The stadium stared in silence for a bit, then Chapati broke it with an wild cry, "There you have it! The top fire mage in the Grand Magic Games...Natsu Dragneel!" Screams of admiration and excitement flooded the colosseum, the loudest of which were heard in the stands where Fairy Tail was seated.

Happy jumped for joy, "YES! Natsu's the strongest!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch squealed.

Romeo stared at Natsu on the lacrima vision and Zancrow's defeated form, but managed a smile, "They gave it all they had. That was an awesome fight."

**/**

Natsu ended his fusion state and panted to recover his lost breath, staring at where Zancrow lay. The Flame God glanced up at him, his face expressionless, "It's my loss…I openly admit that…" Natsu caught his breath and walked over to sit by the defeated Sabertooth mage, helping the latter to sit up.

The Salamander was quiet for a bit, "You're really strong..if you'd recovered from eating lightning by now, you'd probably have defeated me…"

Zancrow snorted, "Quit flattering me. I can tell that you've still got plenty of magic power left in you. No..Right now, I'm not strong enough…" He braced his elbow on his knee as he sat cross-legged, propping his chin on his palm with a sigh, "Jeez..Screw the tournament, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when it's over." With that, the Flame God lay back down, closed his eyes, and was snoring in the next few seconds.

Natsu smirked at him before standing up and sniffing the air, then walked off. _Lisanna's still fighting Milianna over there…I think I'll go see how they're doing. Have a nice rest, Zancrow._

_**/**_

Elfman jumped from rooftop to rooftop, approaching the tall figure that still waited for him with a smirk. As he got within a building's jump of him, the Take Over mage stopped and glared at his enemy.

Orga snorted, "Well, what do we have here? You don't look too happy, big guy…"

"You're the bastard who attacked my sister and Erza aren't you?!" Elfman growled.

The Lightning God snickered, "Maybe..What's it to ya?"

Elfman transformed into his Beast King Take Over and towered over the Sabertooth mage as he roared, "As a man, I'm going to make you regret that!"

Orga looked up at the huge figure with a sneer, "I'd like to see you try, big fella. Come on, then. This should be just a little entertaining…"


	51. The King's Scenario

**Okay, about say..halfway done with the Grand Magic War Game? Something like that, so yeah. Next chapter has some HUGE battles, so look forward to it! That said, this one's got a good start to a fight at the end, so thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Please review! I love hearing from all my readers! Whether it's positive or negative, I like seeing what everyone thinks!**

_Chapter 51: The King's Scenario_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 58pt. Leader=1 Normal=3**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 56pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

After hearing Hisui's description of their situation, Darton was sweating and visibly pale, "So that's what..if this is true, we must stop the Grand Magic Games immediately!"

Hisui shook her head, "I cannot. I still have my doubts about that person."

"That doesn't matter! Even if their words are lies, such a threat to the civilians must be-" Darton protested.

The princess interrupted him, "This individual can supposedly see into the future. And they have predicted two major outcomes in the Grand Magic Games." Darton's eyes widened as she went on, "According to this person, there will be two events that will stand out from all others in this game..Two events so unlikely and spectacular that no one in their right mind would consider it. If those two events really do occur..then I have little choice but to believe this individual."

Darton's exclamation was tense, "Betting the future of this country solely on the results of the Grand Magic Games is ludicrous!"

"These outcomes have yet to occur." Hisui said, glancing at him nervously, "Even as we speak, I seriously doubt that things will turn out as such. But..should the outcomes this person predicted really come to fruition..then I will have no choice but to believe that this individual can see into the future, and open the gates to Eclipse willingly..."

**/**

In the Domus Flau, Romeo glanced at Mavis, "First, do you know who's going to fight next?"

The spirit was quiet for a bit, then murmured slowly, "It's..difficult to predict with the plan so out of order, but…I can at least say that Elfman's fight against Orga..doesn't look that positive."

Evergreen gritted her teeth, "The big idiot! He's letting his pride get in the way! Fighting someone who gave Sting and Rogue a run for their money is..it's not something he can do, but he's going for it anyways?! Why are men so stubborn?!"

Happy sighed, "You could just say that you're worried about him…"

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch added.

**/**

Elfman panted for breath, still glaring at Orga, who stood a rooftop away with a smirk still on his face. The Lightning God sighed mockingly, "Have you figured it out yet, big guy? Sabertooth is too high a hurdle for you to clear…"

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Elfman growled as he entered his Weretiger form, "I'm the younger brother of the Demon Mirajane! I've got what it takes to bring you down!"

Orga raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Interesting..a beast thinks it can strike down a God…Well, if you think you're as heralded as your sister, perhaps I should get a little more..serious in this match…Remember, you asked for it." The Lightning God chuckled darkly as he sneered.

**/**

While Evergreen worried over Elfman's fight, Freed narrowed his eyes at Lisanna's match with Milianna, but it wasn't the girls that made him shake his head with exasperation, "What is he doing?"

"If you ask, I'll bet he'll say he's resting." Cana muttered.

Wakaba nodded, "I'll take that bet. 300 jewels." He and Cana shook hands.

Macao snorted, "Resting, my ass. He's totally enjoying himself, the little…"

"Aye! Bufufufufufufufufu!" Happy sniggered.

**/**

Lisanna and Milianna slashed at each other again with their claws. Milianna scratched at her opponent, who in her Tigress Take Over, had a little bit of an advantage with her greater speed, though Milianna had impressive agility that was tough to keep up with. Lisanna bared her sharp fangs with a grin, "You're pretty good."

"Well, thanks! You're super strong yourself!" Milianna complimented, returning the fierce smile. The girls engaged each other with a frenzy of rapid scratches, but they separated a few seconds later when it was clear such a straightforward attack strategy would just tire them out. Milianna glanced at a building to the side, noting the onlooker nervously, "He's just going to stay there, right? I don't really wanna fight someone who KO'd Zancrow and Kurohebi single handedly…"

Lisanna also looked to their sole spectator and smirked, "Nope, he's, "Resting" right?"

Natsu, sitting on the edge of a rooftop with his feet dangling in midair, grinned in response, "Yep!"

**/**

"Pay up." Cana said, holding her hand out without looking away from the lacrima vision. Wakaba grumbled something unintelligible and handed her a sack of coins.

Levy sighed, "Seriously? Doesn't he have something better to do than watch Lisanna fight? I get that he's recovering his strength after beating Zancrow and Kurohebi, but surely there's something else he can do other than gawk over a cat fight…"

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch added.

Cana smirked, "I'm telling you, it's her Take Over. That tiger skin bikini must look great to Natsu after beating down Raven Tail and Sabertooth."

"Or, maybe he's being honest and is really resting." Mavis suggested, "Also, I think he's probably just worried about her. As long as Minerva's in this game, Natsu will try to stay close to her whenever he can. He was really against the idea of Lisanna entering this game, you know…"

**/**

_"…No, seriously, you're joking, right?" Natsu asked. He clearly wasn't thrilled with the idea of putting the youngest Take Over mage right in Sabertooth's path. Not that she'd be IN their path. Not according to the First Master's calculations._

_Mavis sighed, "Look, Natsu..Elfman has already agreed to join B Team. There's just one spot left, and Lisanna is very familiar with all of the members already in. She's the clear choice to complete an effective team."_

_Natsu narrowed his eyes, "Well..what about Freed? He works with Laxus and he's pretty strong, too. What about him?"_

_"Freed's magic is better in a situation where we have time to prepare the battlefield to our liking." Mavis explained, "In addition, he doesn't have the personal connection to you, Mira, or Elfman, so the team's effectiveness would be lessened."_

_The Salamander tch'd, "I suppose you'll say the same thing if I ask about Bixlow or Evergreen?"_

_Mavis smiled softly, "I know how you feel, but it'll be fine. The strategy I created will have you two nearby the entire time. If Lisanna is at any risk from Minerva- which she won't be according to my calculations- you'll be able to reach her quickly. Trust me, Natsu. I wouldn't send her into this if I believed it would be too dangerous. She's one of my guild's precious third generation_ _like you, and everyone else competing. I would never deliberately put her in a situation where she could be seriously hurt."_

_Natsu mulled it over, then his shoulders sagged, "Alright, I'll go with it…" _

_"Good." The Salamander froze in surprise as Lisanna suddenly walked up behind him, interrupting his private conversation with the First Master. The girl smiled, "It's very sweet that you're so worried, but I'm not helpless. I'm Mira's sister, you know. I can fight."_

_"Exactly, Natsu." Mavis added, nodding agreement with a victorious glint in her eye._

_Cornered between the genius ghost and his mate, who to this day was undefeated in an argument against him, Natsu resigned, glancing over his shoulder at Lisanna, "Just be careful, okay?"_

_Lisanna pecked him on the cheek, "I'll be fine. I've got a Fire Dragon with me- who'd want to make you mad?"_

**/**

Mavis smiled as the lacrima vision showed Natsu's dark eyes, filled with what she could see was honest concern and alertness. _That boy…He's so playful around the guild, but so serious in a fight. If you didn't know any better, he could be two different people. I suppose that's just how strong his own feelings are…What a wonderful child._

"Elfman!"

Mavis was snapped out of her thoughts at Evergreen's cry, eyes widening when she saw Elfman being held up in the air as Orga gripped his throat. The Take Over mage was battered and defeated, but Orga was clearly not about to stop the brutal force he put in to crushing his fallen enemy's throat.

**/**

Orga smirked, sighing mockingly at his defeated opponent, "The brother of the Demon Mirajane..reduced to putty at my hands…" Elfman gagged and choked, but couldn't loosen the Lightning God's grip on his throat. Orga shook his head, "Pathetic."

**3rd. Sabertooth: 56+1=57**

He threw Elfman away, watching the Take Over mage hit the rooftop with a loud crash before he grunted, "You've chosen an opponent that has many years more experience in combat than you do. And magic that few people can match at all…" Orga's lips curled in a cruel grin, "You told me to take you seriously. Well, I'll honor that request by _seriously _turning you to dust." He brought his arms up and started charging a massive amount of black lightning between them, chuckling darkly as Elfman struggled just to turn and look at his opponent.

The Lightning God sneered at his defeated opponent, "Sayonara, Fairy Tail." The lightning between his arms grew so intense that sparks burst from it that destroyed parts of the rooftop.

**/**

Makarov paled. _That man..! He really intends to kill him!_

**/**

Orga almost fired, then there was a flash of yellow and his attack shot way over Elfman as he took a powerful kick to the jaw that sent him staggering back. The shot fired by the Lightning God hit a building several streets away and quite literally vaporized the upper story of said building.

"That was close. Things almost got really ugly…"

Elfman looked up at the newcomer, "Sorry..he was too strong for me…"

"It's fine. Leave him to me…" Laxus glared at the Sabertooth mage as the latter recovered from the surprise attack. The S-Class mage crackled with electricity, "I've already got a score to settle with this guy..We decide here which of us really commands lightning best…"

Orga smirked, "It's about time you showed your ugly mug. I wonder if killing fairies is as tough as killing gods?"

"They aren't even in the same league." Laxus growled, "Even a God can't kill a fairy."

**/**

"Oh! It's Laxus! Another match between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth is about to get underway!" Chapati exclaimed, igniting the crowd's excited cheering again.

Evergreen visibly relaxed, "Phew..As long as Laxus is there, Elfman will be okay."

"Of course he will be! This is Laxus we're talking about! He's a boss!" Freed declared.

Yajima spoke into his mic, "I've notice that Raven Tail has done very little up to this point..Alexei and Obra have not engaged the enemy at all."

"That's true! Where are they anyways?! We lost sight of them after the Game started…" Chapati said.

**/**

Alexei sat in an alleyway, watching a lacrima vision as the battles progressed. He snorted as Laxus engaged Orga, "Jumping into things headfirst again? You're still so naive.." The armored mage sat up straighter, more relaxed than he should've been with his team ten points behind third place. He chuckled to himself, "Well, the others may do what they wish. The scenario I envisioned brings us the ultimate victory. Prepare yourself…father…"

**/**

Sting stared at the hooded figure before him, cautious in the extreme after their encounter with the Garou Knights. He spoke slowly, "Who are you?"

The person trembled, tears running down the visible lower half of their face. They brought a hand up and covered their face with a sob, "I-I'm sorry…" Sting froze, eyes going wide. He knew that voice, which regained control of it's distress and spoke again, "Please..lend me…your strength…"

Yukino paled, "Th-that voice is…"

"What..?" Rogue asked, staring at the stranger with piercing red eyes.

**/**

"How could this person have such knowledge, princess?" Darton demanded.

Hisui was quiet, then murmured softly, "That individual said…"

_"They came from the future…"_

**/**

The stranger removed their hood, revealing to the group, much to their complete shock, a face identical to…

Sting screeched in disbelief, "L-Lucy?!"

"EHHHHH?!" the Lucy behind him shrieked.

The second Lucy looked away, eyes moist with perspiration. For a few moments, the group could only stare in shock, too stunned by the appearance of this stranger who was identical to their friend.

Rogue hissed tensely, "Another..Lucy?"

Wendy gulped, "Wh-what is this?!"

"Gemini? No, that's not…" Yukino frowned as she tried to come up with an explanation.

Lily bristled, "Maybe..the one from Edolas?"

The second Lucy murmured softly, "You should all know about the gates of Eclipse granting access through time."

Charle froze, "H-hold on, you used Eclipse to-"

"Come from the future." the girl confirmed.

"EHHHHH?!" the group yelled.

Lucy stared at her doppelgänger, too stunned to find a suitable reaction.

"This is..impossible…" Leo managed.

The doppelgänger's balance wavered, "Soon, this country..will…" Her legs gave out and she collapsed, falling to the ground before anyone could move. Sting and Wendy dropped down immediately, looking the girl over for injuries, but found nothing visible.

Lector's fur was fluffed up, "What the heck's going on around here?!"

"I don't know…" Lily muttered, clearly uneasy.

Yukino put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Lucy…"

The girl frowned, staring down at her unconscious doppelgänger, "This…this doesn't feel right. Why would I..?"

Sting, after a moment of thought, sighed and picked the unconscious girl up, throwing her over his shoulder, "Well, we can't just leave her lying here…For now, it's best if she comes with us."

He supported the girl with both hands, but his placement made Lucy puff up her cheek, "Hey! Don't touch my ass, even if it's not mine!…Uh, does that even make sense?"

Sting removed his hand and scratched his head, "Don't confuse me even more..it's going to be weird enough trying to explain to the guild why we've got two Lucy's with us…"

**/**

Darton was still trying to wrap his head around the princess's tactics, but something confused him, "You needed the Celestial mages in order to open Eclipse, so why drop them in the dungeons? That seems counter-intuitive to me…"

Hisui nodded sullenly, "Indeed..especially since I had all twelve keys in my hands. I got ahead of myself."

"But princess, they've got the keys back." Darton stated, "How do we unlock Eclipse without them, should the outcome prove to be true?"

The princess sighed, "Actually, I already have. I used the keys yesterday to unlock the gates of Eclipse. All that's needed now is to push them open with human hands."

Darton chewed on his lip nervously, "And the person you mentioned…they are prepared to face the consequences of changing the future?"

Hisui looked down, "All of this responsibility is something I cannot shoulder alone. That's why I asked for your and Arcadios's council. Whether or not we even open the gates depends on the tournament, so for now…we simply observe."

**/**

Laxus engaged Orga with a flurry of vicious strikes, yellow lightning clashing with black as they struggled to overwhelm the other. The Lightning God grinned, "Looks like you're not all bark, eh…"

"Where'd all that big talk go, huh?" Laxus growled, then elbowed the other man in the jaw and kicked him away.

As Orga skidded back, he held his arms up and fired a ray of black lightning out at his opponent, "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" Laxus roared, hurling a spear of lightning in retaliation. Laxus's lightning sliced through Orga's and hit the Sabertooth mage head on, but it's effect was lessened by the man's resistance to magic related to his own.

As the attack pressed Orga back so he had to jump in order to avoid falling off the building, he took a deep breath, "Lightning God's…"

Laxus mirrored his opponent, "Lightning Dragon's…"

"Bellow!"

"Roar!"

The two masses of lightning flew from the open jaws of both mages, colliding with an incredible force that generated a blast large enough to level the building they stood on. As Orga leaped backwards onto another building, Laxus transformed into lightning and shot forward, ramming his knee into the Sabertooth mage's face. The Lightning God lost his balance and crashed onto the rooftop, clutching at the stinging pain in his nose.

Grunting angrily, he wiped away the water from his eyes and glared around, but as he looked up, Orga's head was slammed by a powerful punch, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" Laxus smashed his opponent into the building below and straight to the ground, creating a crater that knocked the wind out of the Lightning God.

Orga staggered to his feet, coughing from the damage as he applied his Divine Blood Armor. He faced Laxus as the S-Class mage landed in the street several meters away, "You're strong, I admit…but now we'll see if you've got what it takes to bring down a God."

Laxus snorted, "I've got what it takes. The only question here, is how long are you gonna keep postponing the inevitable?"

The Lightning God laughed, "Interesting! Come on then, Laxus! Show me your strength when you're serious!"


	52. Laxus vs Orga

**Okay, I really wanted to see Laxus fight Orga in the manga, and although I really liked seeing Jura go badass and one-shot the guy, I wish we got to see more of Laxus and Orga going at it! Here's my answer to what should've gone down! I hope you like it and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 52: Laxus vs Orga_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**2nd. Fairy Tail B- 58pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Laxus raised an eyebrow at Orga's challenge, "My strength…when I'm serious?" The Lightning God smirked as the S-Class mage scoffed, "You sure know how to talk the talk…but if you wanna see my best, then show me you can walk the walk first."

"Suit yourself. I hope you're ready for a beating." Orga snickered, his right hand closing into a fist around a spear of crackling black lightning.

The two mages stared each other down for a few moments, then sprung into action.

Orga started by hurling a massive sphere of black lightning at his opponent, "Lightning God's Jupiter!"

Laxus was quick to react, dodging the attack by transforming into lightning, then flying around and clotheslining the Lightning God, flattening him out on the ground.

The Sabertooth mage took a deep breath on the ground, then leaned his head back and fired at Laxus's back, "Lightning God's Bellow!" The mass of black lightning managed to hit Laxus clean between the shoulders, but the S-Class mage just stiffened, then slowly turned to glare at Orga over his shoulder.

Orga rose to his feet and faced his opponent with a smirk, "From the look on your face, I'm guessing you ain't feeling 100% after taking that. Am I right?"

"You're a pain in my ass is what you are." Laxus growled, turning completely and crossing his arms to deliver a piercing glare into his enemy's eyes, "Come on then. I'm not fully convinced I should give it my all going against you."

The Lightning God laughed, then lunged with a shout, "Have it your way, Laxus! I'll show you my real power first!" He brought his left fist back and generated black lightning around it, then punched at the S-Class mage, "Lightning God's Bullet Fist!"

Laxus brought his own fist back and crashed it into his enemy's, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

The two electric attacks pushed against each other for several moments, all the while sending out small bolts of lightning that destroyed whatever they touched. When the power was decided even, Orga brought his right arm up with the lightning spear and jabbed at Laxus's head, but the S-Class mage quickly leaned to the side and grabbed his enemy's wrist with his free hand, then yanked him forward and rammed his knee into the Lightning God's stomach, cracking the armored chest piece. Orga doubled over coughing from the force, but Laxus followed up with a mighty uppercut that lifted him off the ground and crashed his enemy onto the street.

Orga staggered back to his feet, still grinning like a giddy idiot, "Your fists have some real passion to them all right…That was one solid hit…"

"I told you that killing fairies was nothing compared to killing gods." Laxus said, sneering at his opponent.

**/**

"This battle is intense! The two lightning mages are going at it with everything they've got! What a fight!" Chapati's exclamation got the crowd in the Domus Flau roaring with excitement as they watched Laxus and Orga battle it out on the lacrima vision.

"Go Laxus! Show them your true power!" Freed shouted.

Bixlow pumped his fist, "Give em' hell, Boss!"

Evergreen cheered, "Get Sabertooth back for Elfman, Mira, and the others!"

**/**

Orga went on the offensive again, firing a blast of energy at his enemy, "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

"This again?" Laxus smirked, the threw a spear of thunder in retaliation, "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" The huge electric spearhead ripped through the cannon shot with little effort, then crashed into Orga head on. The Lightning God skidded back, still grinning at his opponent.

Now Laxus went on the offensive, shooting forward to take kick at his opponent. Orga mirrored him, the two kicks colliding with a shockwave that crushed the street beneath their feet. As they stepped back to prepare the next attack, Orga's lightning spear extended and the point caught Laxus in the shoulder, making him stagger off balance.

The Sabertooth mage seized his chance and fired a point-blank breath attack, "Lightning God's Bellow!"

Laxus grunted as he was enveloped by the blast of black lightning, but he took a deep breath before the attack even dissipated and fired a reply, "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" The yellow beam of lightning slammed into Orga and sent him flying back, but Laxus shot forward before he touched back down. The S-Class mage flew above his enemy, then rammed his fist into Orga's head, crushing him into the street. The Lightning God reacted quickly though, rolling aside as Laxus attempted to stomp his skull and finish the job.

Orga leaped back as Laxus's stomp made a crater in the ground, but he fired three rapid shots out that caught the S-Class mage in the face, "Lightning God's Triple Revolver!"

The explosion from the three blasts created a smoke cloud around Laxus's head that quickly faded away, revealing his rather ticked off expression, "I'm pretty sure there's a little bee trying to sting me."

The Lightning God roared with laughter, but Laxus was in no mood for hysterics. The shots hadn't done much damage, but they'd seriously hurt and now he was really pissed off. Orga failed to recognize this before the S-Class mage returned the favor and sent a mass of electric spheres at his head, "Thunder Bullets!"

Orga yelled and staggered back as the lightning spheres crashed into his face, again, not dealing much damage, but managing to make him significantly angry. He didn't even wait for the last bullet to hit his face before he rushed forward with a fist raised and slammed it into Laxus's stomach.

Laxus spat red and grabbed the Sabertooth mage by the shoulders, then delivered a fierce lightning-enhanced headbutt right to Orga's forehead. He then proceeded to engage the Lightning God in a lethal bout of close combat. Punches, kicks, elbowing, kneeing, all bolstered with lightning to increase the damage they dealt as the two mages clashed furiously against each other. The violent contest lasted for almost five minutes, at which point, both mages had red staining their bodies, but it was becoming clear that Laxus had the upper hand. In terms of sheer magic power and strength, the S-Class mage definitely outdid his opponent, but Orga was strong himself and had a great resistance to Laxus's magic, though even his armor was breaking up from the intense battle.

They finally split apart, Orga staggering back while Laxus stared him down menacingly. _You've got to be kidding me…This guy..he's taking all my attacks and he's still just..he's not exhausted yet?! _

"Well?" Laxus grunted, "I'm not sold that I should go all out yet. You got anything else up your sleeve?"

Orga's eyes widened in angry disbelief, "Are you serious? You're telling me that you're still just screwing around? Okay you know what, your head's gettin' split right here, you arrogant blonde ass!" He lunged forward, stabbing at Laxus's head with his black lightning spear, "Lightning God's Master Bolt!" As the strike landed, the end of the spear exploded, enveloping Laxus in a burst of black lightning.

**/**

"Laxus!" Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen all cried in unison.

Makarov paled, "Was he just..?"

**/**

Mirajane woke up after being defeated, then glanced over at a lacrima vision where she could see Laxus battling Orga. She saw the Sabertooth mage stab at the Lightning Dragon, tensing nervously when he disappeared behind a mass of pitch-black thunder. _Laxus…_

**/**

Orga smirked, "How's that, Fairy Tail?"

"Tastes like shit."

The Lightning God's eyes grew huge and he paled in shock as he realized that not only was Laxus okay, but he'd caught the spear tip with his _teeth. _The S-Class mage had literally bitten the end of the lightning spear and stopped it without taking a step. Orga's jaw dropped, "You..have got to be kidding me…"

Laxus glared at him, growling though his bared teeth as he still bit down on the black lightning spear, "Before I get serious and pulverize you..let me ask you a trick question, Mr. Lightning God…Do you know what happens when you try to kill a dragon with a stick?"

He spit the lightning spear out, shoved it aside with his arm, then dropped and swept Orga's legs out from under him with a kick before the Sabertooth mage could react. Laxus was on top in an instant, punching down as his fist crackling fiercely with lightning and he roared, "At the end of the day, you've got a busted stick and a pissed-off dragon!"

Laxus slammed his fist into Orga's head, crushing him into the ground with such force that the Lightning God's body from the neck down went up in the air. Orga didn't even make a sound, as he was knocked out too fast for the pain to register.

**2nd-1st. Fairy Tail B: 58+1=59**

**/**

The crowd screamed with excitement as Chapati shouted into the mic, "It's Laxus! Fairy Tail's on top again! Both teams are tied for first place!"

Evergreen yelled with joy, "Yes! That's Laxus for you!"

"AAAHHHH YEAHHHH!" Freed roared.

"Get some, Sabertooth!" Bixlow cackled.

Frosch and Happy hi-fived, "First place!" "Aye, sir!"

**/**

Mira smiled as Laxus stood up victorious, glaring down at his unconscious enemy. _Thank goodness..he's okay…_

**/**

"That was superbly done."

Laxus froze at the voice, but turned to face it with a grin, "It's about damn time."

"It would appear the heavyweights have already decided who's top dog…" Jura smiled fiercely, eyes dark with battle lust, "I would appreciate a match with you..I can finally feel my blood boiling…"

Laxus laughed, "Nice…a real beast, at last!"

**/**

Gajeel finished eating the iron, feeling substantially recharged and ready for a second round. He stood up, rolling his shoulders with a grunt, "Alright…Let's see here…" Black Steel sniffed the air, then let his nose guide him towards the faint scent that he definitely recognized. _Hunt's on, you bastard!_

**/**

Natsu continued to watch Lisanna and Milianna battle it out, recovering his energy as he rested. The girls were finally starting to show signs that they were growing tired, as their movements became slower and less sharp, but they still stubbornly refused to yield. The two separated after several minutes of scratching at each other, panting hard and staring at the other fiercely.

Milianna grinned nervously, "You really are..super strong…"

"You're really good yourself…" Lisanna gasped, half crouching as she rested her hands on her knees.

Natsu took in her exhausted figure and offered assistance, "Oi, you sure you don't want me to-"

"No! I've already fought her this long, I'm going to finish it on my own!" Lisanna said fiercely.

The Salamander raised his hands in surrender, "I'm just saying!"

Milianna was grateful he wasn't about to hop in, since she and the Take Over mage were virtually equals in this match and it was really fun. But she knew if Lisanna didn't beat her that Natsu would jump in anyways. _If that happens..I'll just run for it. Well..that might not work with his sense of smell, but…Agh, I can't just give up! I'll figure it out, but for now I should concentrate on this..? Wait, is..That's..! _

Lisanna by chance saw Milianna's eyes widen and followed her gaze up to where Natsu was seated on the rooftop. Her heart froze for a moment as she saw the figure diving towards him, just barely managing to screech in time, "Natsu, behind you!"

Natsu felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up as he sensed the presence not an instant after Lisanna's warning, leaping off the building in a forward flip as it was destroyed by a powerful blow. He landed on the street, skidding back and requipping immediately, bringing Igneo into his hands with a blaze of fire as he glared at the figure emerging from the rubble of the destroyed building.

He grinned nervously, "Well…of all people, I really didn't expect to be fighting you…"

The newcomer allowed a small snort of laughter, "Yet you still dodged my surprise attack…very sharp of you." Kagura walked calmly out of the smoke cloud with her sword in hand.

Lisanna and Milianna stared between them with wide eyes, both girls realizing they really shouldn't be in the way of the two mages who were glaring daggers at each other and bearing even sharper weapons that could inflict insane amounts of damage.

**/**

"Oh! It seems Kagura has challenged Natsu! What an extraordinary turn of events!" Chapati exclaimed.

Yajima nodded, "Hm. Both of them proved to be worthy opponents on the second day…and their strength is well known throughout the country. It should be an interesting fight, to say the least."

"Still, Natsu must be tired after fighting Zancrow and Kurohebi-kabo!" Mato said anxiously.

**/**

Romeo paled, "K-Kagura?! Seriously?!"

"This..is going to be very messy, isn't it?" Makarov managed, eyes wide.

Mavis laughed nervously, "Well…at least we don't have to pay for every building they destroy..ehehehe…"

**/**

"…Milianna." Kagura said.

The cat girl jumped, "Y-yes?"

"I suggest you and your opponent leave the surrounding area." Kagura suggested, readying Archenemy at her side as she stared down with Natsu, "A fight between mages of our caliber…will not be without collateral damage. I do not wish for you to be amongst those various objects that will be devoured by our blades."

Natsu nodded, but didn't move his dark eyes from Kagura, "Yeah, she's got a point…Lisanna, you two should move back a bit. Trying to fight this woman while covering for someone else is-"

"I'm not arguing." Lisanna said quickly, backing up as she spoke, "I'm not crazy enough to get involved with you two when I'm already tired. Have fun, but count me out!" She and Milianna moved away as quick as they could, sensing the storm brewing over the two mages could break at any moment.

Natsu met Kagura's gaze unflinchingly, "I'm not backing down, just because you can match Erza."

"I'm flattered that you hold me in such high regard as to compare me with Titania." Kagura said dryly, "I do not intend to lose. Especially not to an enemy wielding another blade."

The Salamander grinned, grasping Igneo tightly so that flames rippled along the blade, making his dark eyes and sharp canines more prominent and fierce looking, "Bring it on. I'm all fired up…"

**/**

"They are steadily finding their final opponents! Who's going to be the guild who claims the victor's crown?!" Chapati shouted, prompting the stadium into another tremendous bout of wild cheering.

**/**

Meredy, having been freed from Sabertooth's grasp thanks to Zancrow, had joined up with the rest of Crime Sorciere early in the morning, but was just now learning of Jellal's encounter with the Future Lucy, making her face go pale, "I-if that's true…"

Ultear nodded, "Tomorrow, this country will be destroyed…"

Meredy gulped, "Shouldn't we at least try to evacuate the civilians?"

"We'd only start a mass panic." Ultear argued.

Jellal stopped their argument, "Wait. We can't just accept this." The girls turned to stare at him as he murmured quietly, eyes narrowed in a frown, "Something about this feels wrong..something…"


	53. The Doomed Future

**Okay, got another chapter up! I would've updated yesterday, but I was busy, so yeah. I only got to read the latest chapter this morning...Who else had the words WTF go through their head when they saw the last panel? I'm interested, but I just can't see Future Rogue being totally evil...It doesn't make sense that he would tell Hisui that Fairy Tail would go undefeated only to try and defeat Gajeel by possessing his present self. Did he do that to give Gajeel his power? And another thing...he doesn't look like Future Lucy, like he came back in time a few days after the 10,000 dragons ravaged the kingdom. He looks older, so how old is Future Rogue really? 7 years older? And if he were evil, why save Natsu and the others? Wouldn't they try to stop him? Rogue doesn't seem like the person who'd make the mistake of freeing his only opposition. And I'm still suspicious of Future Lucy...What's she hiding under that cloak? We haven't seen that right arm ONCE since she came to the present. Actually, where did she get that cloak anyways? If she was just stumbling around in the devastation of the dragon attack, would she really be able to find a cloak completely undamaged by 10,000 stupidly powerful reptiles? That girl's hiding something, but we'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 53: The Doomed Future_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**1st. Fairy Tail B- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

"Well, dammit." Sting growled.

The rescue team was still inside Mercurius, but to their dismay, were completely lost inside the building which proved to be much bigger and more complex than they'd assumed. At the moment, the team assumed they were in the castle's dining hall, since there were few other uses for a very large table with silverware all over.

Leo sighed, "I never imagined we'd get lost of all things…"

"What a nuisance." Rogue muttered, sitting in a chair to rest his injured body.

Yukino nodded, "Mr. Castle has a very confusing layout…"

Wendy blinked to make sure she'd heard that right, "Y-you're addressing the castle as…mister?"

Scratching his head, Lily frowned, "This makes it more difficult to escape and inform everyone of what's happened."

Lector rubbed his forehead with a paw, "Can't we just KO one of the soldiers and ask for directions?"

Sting shook his head, "No, as much as I wish we could do that. With our teams still competing in the games, we can't go attacking soldiers of the kingdom since they sort of sponsor the entire event. We don't want our actions here to reflect badly on the others."

Charle face-palmed, "Have you forgotten that Rogue tore apart the Garou Knights?"

Lucy was still staring at her doppelgänger, who had yet to awaken.

Leo grinned at them, "Don't worry, Lucy. Even with two of you, my love shall encompass you both!"

"So not happening." Sting growled, "And you suck at reading situations."

At that moment, the doppelgänger stirred, "Ugh…Where am I?"

Rogue shrugged, "I'd say the castle's dining hall."

She glanced around, "So..we're still inside the castle?" Future Lucy put her left hand up to her forehead, frowning with concentration, "From what I can remember..we were captured by the Royal Army after escaping the dungeons…"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Is that what happened in your timeline?"

Sting looked unperturbed, "You can't be serious. Rogue wiped the Garou Knights out on his own, and the rest of us are fresh. There's no way they could capture us."

Future Lucy sighed, "As we escaped, we somehow approached the Eclipse and had our magic drained. That made us powerless…"

"Sounds pretty nasty." Lector muttered.

The girl nodded, "It was an unfortunate coincidence, but until that time…we stayed in jail…"

Wendy watched her nervously, but managed to ask a question, "..Why did you come here from the future?"

Future Lucy rose up to her feet unsteadily, "To undo the bleakest of futures…"

Sting stared at her uneasily, "Bleak? Just what happened in your future?"

**/**

Hisui and Darton sat together in the highest floor of the castle, watching multiple lacrima screens as the Grand Magic War Game progressed. The princess spoke softly with a voice tinged with the slightest of fears, "That person told me…"

_"What awaits us…is nothing short of an apocalypse…with a herd of over ten thousand dragons appearing to ravage this kingdom. The castle set ablaze, the city reduced to rubble…and countless lives lost."_

Darton narrowed his eyes, "An assault of over ten thousand dragons…"

Hisui shook her head, "No one would believe such a farfetched story immediately. I will not believe it. Not until the Grand Magic Games play out to their conclusion."

**/**

Sting's jaw had hit the floor, "Are you..freakin…KIDDING ME?!"

Lily winced, "My poor ears…"

Lector bristled, "Ten thousand dragons…we're so screwed…"

Yukino gulped, "Out of all the possibilities…Could this be connected to the dragon graveyard we discovered earlier?"

"It's not impossible…" Charle muttered, thoroughly subdued by the words bringing despair.

Rogue shook his head, "It's irrelevant. We need to be prepared either way, so getting to the others and warning them takes first priority."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "Warn- you mean not escape?! You want to _fight _these things?!"

"Rogue, no! That'd be suicide!" Yukino gasped.

The Shadow Dragon shook his head, "I'm not suggesting we fight them, but with so many…it's definitely a possibility that we'll run into dragons sooner or later, even if we manage to escape the city."

Future Lucy watched the exchange nervously, "Will the others…believe me?"

Sting stared at her wild eyed, "Are you just screwing with us?!"

"N-no! Of course not! It's just…it seems impossible, doesn't it? I have trouble believing the others will accept it at face value…" she murmured, slightly crestfallen.

The White Dragon's eyes narrowed, "They would never doubt your words."

The doppelgänger's eyes widened, then she looked aside with a smile.

Lucy smiled as well, "My future self shouldn't be so doubtful. Have more faith in your friends…"

"I'm being lectured by…me. Still, you've got a great point." Future Lucy giggled.

Charle was thinking fast. _All the dots are starting to connect…The crumbling castle…and what I thought was Lucy singing in fact..it was her hysterically screaming and crying. Wait! _The white she-cat stared up at Future Lucy with wide eyes, "What happens to us in the castle?! When the dragons attack, what-"

Wendy stopped her exceed partner, "Charle, your vision…doesn't it kind of make that question self-explanatory?"

Sting stared in disbelief, "You can't be serious..we all get killed?"

"I refuse to believe that with three Dragon Slayers between us that we could be so helpless." Rogue snarled.

Yukino put a hand on his shoulder, "But if we were drained of our magic, just think…we'd be sitting ducks for creatures as big and powerful as dragons. And such a number…we probably didn't last an hour."

Future Lucy said nothing in response, just went on mumbling, "I can't tell you how many days passed, but when I woke up, I recalled the Eclipse and somehow managed to make it operate. I arrived on July 4th, X791."

Leo stared down at her, "The 4th? That was just two days ago…"

"Why didn't you try traveling back to an earlier time?" Rogue asked.

The doppelgänger shook her head, "I don't understand the fundamentals of Eclipse. Parts of it looked damaged from the dragon attack."

Arcadios was sitting silently, still feigning unconsciousness while he listened to the girl's story. _So..this was the person whispering in the princess's ear…still..can this all be..?_

Future Lucy kept going, "Lacrima have been strategically placed all over the city to record the Grand Magic War Game. But there's an underground passage we can use to meet up with Jellal and the others."

Sting raised an eyebrow, "Jellal?"

The doppelgänger nodded, "I told him everything in hopes that he'd be able to find a resolution…"

Lucy frowned, "A resolution? Wait…"

Future Lucy bit her lip, "I'm sorry. I came here in a rush, so I don't have a plan to defeat the dragons…"

Arcadios half opened one eye. _That…is a lie. The princess told me..Eclipse could be used in an alternate fashion. The Eclipse 2. For over seven years, it has gathered magical energy from the Grand Magic Games…and it's power is now equivalent to Etherion. With a weapon on par with the Holy Light utilized by the Magic Council, we will answer the dragon's challenge. But…_He stared at Future Lucy darkly, suspiciously. _You revealed the alternate use of Eclipse to the princess, but not your friends…and you did not arrive on the fourth of July…Why..why are you keeping these secrets from your friends?!_

Future Lucy looked down, "I'm so sorry…I don't know what else I could do here…I've just been wandering around in a daze…"

Sting knelt down so he was eye level with the girl, "Just leave it to us." His hand came behind her head and pressed her forehead against his so he could look into the girl's eyes, "Thank you…For coming back to warn us…There's no way I'll let that happen…"

The girl seemed surprised by his reassurance, but was also moved, tears filling up her eyes.

**/**

Ultear watched the sun dip to the horizon, murmuring softly, "It could all be an elaborate hoax."

Meredy gulped, "D-do you really think Future Lucy would lie to us?"

Jellal clasped his hands together, deep in though, "Over ten thousand dragons…the Eclipse…the magic…something doesn't add up." He stood silently, putting his hood over his head, "One of two outcomes seems to be possible. Future Lucy is either an impostor, or…Future Lucy is being dishonest."

**/**

"The Grand Magic War Game is reaching it's climax!" Chapati exclaimed, "We've got the final big players going at it for the last points! That said, there are still 35 points out there up for grabs! It's anyone's game here!"

Yajima nodded, "Currently, it seems Lisanna and Milianna are about ready to wrap up their match while Gajeel appears to be wandering the city in search of an opponent. Meanwhile…"

**/**

Laxus and Jura collided like tanks, slamming their fists together to generate a massive shockwave that tore apart the air and the street beneath them.

The Wizard Saint was grinning like a kid in a candy store, "Excellent…such skill..I am almost without speech…"

"The rumors were true, all right…" Laxus admitted, but still smiled largely as his blood raced through his veins with excitement, "You're one hell of a monster, old man…"

The two separated and prepared to go at it again when a light laugh made them pause.

"Well, well, the boys have already gotten started…what happened to ladies first?"

The air chilled.

Laxus and Jura slowly turned with wide eyes and huge, unbreakable grins to see Ur walk up with a smirk and a look of dark lust awaiting the pleasure of battle. Her voice was deceptively soft, "Do you mind, boys? I've waited for this moment since the tournament began…"

Jura actually laughed, "Ur…"

"Finally…" Laxus almost looked crazed from anticipation, "The monsters are all in one spot…Sorry Natsu, but I'm taking your line. I'm all fired up!"

Ur met their hungry gazes with her own starving expression, "I can't wait. Let's begin, shall we?"

**/**

Makarov paled, "Oh god. They'll annihilate the entire city now that they aren't restricted by the colosseum walls…"

"That's going to be one hell of a spectacle!" Cana laughed.

Mavis was more focused on another match, "Natsu and Kagura have begun, it seems…"

**/**

After sizing up their opponent for several moments, Natsu and Kagura readied their blades and squared off, circling each other slowly and making mock charges until they finally lunged at each other for real.

Igneo danced with flames as Natsu swung downward, matching Kagura's upwards stroke. The two blades collided with an explosion of sparks, pushing against the other fiercely before the two mages shoved each other away and skidding back, minds racing after assessing the first blow.

Natsu's eyes narrowed. _Strong, as expected. She's fast too..I can't take many attacks from her sword if she moves with that speed and scores clean hits. I'll have to find an opening in her style and wear her down with smaller blows._

Kagura also got a good estimate of her strategy from the first collision. _Physically, he's more adept than I am, but his style is not as experienced as Erza's. If I confuse him with rapid strikes, the only thing that can save him are those quick reflexes…which are rather impressive for a man._

Their calculations lasted only a moment and then they were at it again, swinging at each other furiously in a frenzy of steel that left their images moving in blurs of incredible speed. After several seconds, Natsu and Kagura were already making changes to their separate plans as they learned more about their opponent with every strike. Their concentration was distracting though, especially when something caught their attention too late out of the corner of their eyes. The two clashing mages turned slightly to be blasted away with a mass of energy.

Natsu skidded to a halt and narrowed his eyes at his opponent, "You."

"Me." Minerva said smugly, her hand still outstretched at the other mages.

**/**

"Oh! What's this?! Minerva has joined the fray!" Chapati announced, riling up the spectators in the colosseum even more.

Mavis's eyes widened, "Minerva…"

Macao gulped, "I think Natsu's got a good shot against Kagura alone, but…that scary lady too?"

Romeo's eyes were glued to the screen, "This just got really complicated…"

Levy shook her head, "There's no way we can know how this will play out…"

"There's no way Natsu will lose!" Happy declared.

**/**

The other Mermaid Heel mages had already returned to their waiting room after being defeated. Arania let out a nervous breath, "Kagura, we're counting on you…"

"Will she be okay?" Beth asked anxiously.

Risley laughed, but she didn't sound completely confident, "Don't look down on Kagura..!"

**/**

Minerva sighed in exasperation as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Honestly, I have to do all the work around here…Still, I didn't expect you to be able to defeat both Zancrow and Kurohebi single-handedly, Natsu. I admit, I'm impressed."

"I'm flattered." Natsu drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm as he glared at the woman menacingly.

Minerva sneered at them, "Just try and claw your way up to the top of the food chain. I'll end your delusions of grandeur right here."

Kagura closed her eyes for a moment, "You overestimate yourself. Sometimes mermaids can devour tigers."

"Well I doubt either can eat a dragon, so how about we just get started?" Natsu snarled.

The three mages faced off, all three glaring daggers at each other before they finally lunged forward. Natsu and Kagura swung their blades, while Minerva thrust her hand out with her War God Magic altering the space. The three attacks collided and generated a shockwave of significant proportions, then they separated for a split second before attacking again.

Minerva distracted Kagura by hurling a sphere of energy at the woman, forcing her to block with Archenemy while the Sabertooth mage punched at Natsu. He blocked the blow with the flat of his blade, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted, bathing Minerva in a crimson blaze that sent her flying back with a grunt of pain.

Kagura dodged around the mass of fire to jump and kick Natsu in jaw, making him recoil and spit blood angrily.

Minerva skidded to a stop, then shot forward and kicked Kagura fiercely with both feet, scoring a blow to the chest that launched the Mermaid Heel mage through a building and into the street on the other side. Kagura managed to stop, slashing at Minerva's feet as her opponent came in for another attack and sending the woman sprawling behind her.

She glanced up, then her eyes widened as she was grabbed by the face and thrown aside by Natsu as he roared, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Kagura went flying, but Minerva used it as an opportunity to leap above the Salamander while her hands collected the space around them.

Natsu glared up at her, readying Igneo to intercept while he growled, "Do you really think- AGH!" He roared with pain as Kagura flew back at him while he was open and stabbed him in the chest with her sheathed sword.

Minerva didn't miss a beat and came down, swiping Kagura away with her War God Magic.

The Salamander skidded to a stop, then stabbed Igneo deep into the ground with a grunt, "Flare Pillar!"

Minerva and Kagura froze with wide eyes as glowing orange cracks rapidly encircled them at their feet, then both women cried out as the earth below them exploded in two huge columns of fire that sent them flying.

Kagura tch'd, bringing he sword to the side, "Have it your way…"

Minerva spat blood and glared at the Salamander, moving her arms above her head in a circular motion, "You..!"

Natsu left Igneo in the ground and spun in a circle, flames dancing around his hands, "Secret Dragon Slayer Art…"

Kagura slashed with the sheathed Archenemy, releasing a narrow blade of concentrated energy, "Gravity Form!"

"Yagdo Rigora!" Minerva screeched, summoning the massive demonic statue and a huge mass of magic.

Natsu let the flames loose with a roar, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

The three attacks collided, did nothing for several moments, then flashed and enveloped the mages and everything within over a quarter mile with a titanic explosion that shook the earth violently, making multiple buildings collapse just from the resulting blast wave.

**/**

Every jaw in the stadium hit the floor in shock.

Makarov broke the silence amongst his guild, "Dear lord in heaven…"

"Holy shit!" Cana gasped.

Happy's big eyes were huge, "…That's overkill…"

"F..Fro thinks so..too…" Frosch managed, still stunned from witnessing the enormous explosion.

**/**

Ur, Laxus, and Jura paused before they could even begin their fight, all three raising surprised eyebrows at the sight of such a titanic blast.

Ur muttered with an impressed tone, "Well, well…those kids aren't messing around…"

"Natsu's at it again…" Laxus smirked.

Jura was more wary, "I had no idea there were still mages capable to that extent in this game…"

**/**

Gajeel stopped walking for a moment and turned to stare at the explosion, then grinned, "Gee-hee…Salamander's roughing it up, eh?"

**/**

Alexei noted the shockwave with little interest, simply eyeing the ending mushroom cloud with a chuckle, "How kind of them to entertain me…"

**/**

The smoke cleared from the explosion, revealing the three mages to be still standing. They were battered, shaken, and definitely not okay from being exposed to such an enormous and destructive burst of energy, but they remained strong and kept glaring at the other with determination.

**/**

If the colosseum had been stunned before, virtually every person who realized the three mages were still standing and up for a fight almost lost their sanity.

"EEEEHHHHHHHH?!"

"Th-th-th-they-they're- They're still standing?!" Chapati shrieked.

Yajima's was in utter disbelief, "I have no words…"

Mato's jaw still lolled open, eyes almost popping out of his head, "Holy crap…"

**/**

Makarov gulped, "I-I might..I don't know if my heart can handle this…"

"Don't die on us here, old man." Macao managed to ask, "That would be a sullen victory."

Mavis stared at the three mages with wide eyes, "This fight..those three really are incredibly powerful…to withstand an explosion of that caliber and still be..I'm honestly quite impressed."

**/**

Minerva broke the uneasy silence, "Well..that was…interesting, to say the least. If we keep going like this, the three of us may just end up obliterating each other with no clear victor…"

Natsu gave her a hard stare, dark eyes piercing.

Kagura closed her eyes, appearing calm despite the carnage.

The Sabertooth mage held her arms out to the sides, smirking as she activated her War God Magic again, "Let's make things more…interesting…" Two large spheres of energy appeared at her sides, containing within them the weakened forms of Lisanna and Milianna. Minerva sneered, "I caught a pair of stray kittens just a moment ago."

Natsu shouted, "Lisanna!"

"Milia!" Kagura cried.

The girls thrashed in the wave matter, but were restrained and helpless. Minerva appeared very confident, "Can you see their faces writhing with pain? As long as they are in this space, their magic will continuously be drained."

The Salamander's fangs were bared in a feral, enraged snarl.

Kagura too glared at Minerva with anger, clenching Archenemy tightly.

**/**

Mira and Erza had both recovered enough to sit up and watch the lacrima vision, but worried over the difficult situation.

Mira clasped her hands together, frowning with worry, "Lisanna…"

"Milianna, too…" Erza muttered, frustrated that she was powerless to help Natsu and Kagura defeat the head of the Sabertooth team.

**/**

Happy's fur fluffed up, his tail bristling as he saw Lisanna taken hostage by Minerva. He hissed uneasily, "That's dirty!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said, a little angrily for once.

Mavis bit her lip, "This is…"

**/**

Minerva looked over the two angry expressions with a dark satisfaction, "Those looks on your faces are simply delicious…"

"Let Lisanna go!" Natsu snarled, ripping Igneo free of the earth.

The Sabertooth mage smirked, "It's time I show you how a king fights…"

Natsu held Igneo to his side, the blade rippling with angry flames as he growled threateningly, "I'm not gonna ask you twice. Let her go while your head is still attached to your shoulders."

Minerva laughed and sneered, "Just try me, little boy."

The Salamander's eyes flashed with rage, then he shot forward, swinging Igneo in a downward arc at Minerva's throat. He hissed at the woman through bared fangs, "You're tiger number two."

She met his rage with a satisfied smile, "Oh? Counting now, are we?"

Suddenly, Kagura was in her place.

The Mermaid Heel mage registered Natsu slashing down at her and raised Archenemy to block a split second before her head would have been lopped off. _I got switched with her?!_

Minerva glanced at them over her shoulder, "How about you two claw each other's eyes out, then find me when one of you manages to slit the other's throat. The winner can be my prey." She swiped her hand, then Lisanna and Milianna vanished into thin air.

Kagura glared at the woman past Natsu, "You're so arrogant…Having the nerve to interrupt our match and then leaving in the middle of the bout…Such cowardice."

With a dark chuckle, the Sabertooth mage gave her a reply, "Pulling the strings and making others do your whims is what defines a king. I'll be honest with you, in our current conditions, a battle between myself and either of you would be..unpleasant. See, I'm not so arrogant to admit when I cannot match someone…But remember, that the king must win at any cost."

Kagura shouted as Minerva started to walk away, "Release Milianna!"

_"You're in…"_ Kagura stared as Natsu's blade suddenly exploded with flames, then he slashed her aside with a furious roar, _"My way!"_ She skidded back to a stop, watching the Salamander spin around to yell after Minerva, "What do you want?! I'll give it, just let Lisanna go!"

Minerva was nowhere in sight.

Kagura sighed with exasperation and stared at Natsu intensely, "She got both of us like that…"

"Shut up." Natsu hissed, whirling around to glare at the Mermaid Heel mage, "I'm gonna wipe the floor with you. Then that Saber bitch is gonna meet her maker…"


	54. Clash of the Titans

**Alright, I've got something important to say! Considering what's happened with the manga recently, that being the surprise appearance of Future Rogue, I'm going to wrap up the Grand Magic War Game, then probably go on hiatus for a bit. I need more info before I continue, so in the meantime, I think I might start the Prequel about Natsu's adventures in Edolas! Or maybe I'll do something completely different, who knows! Anyways, the next chapter concludes the GMG arc! Thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 54: Clash of the Titans_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**1st. Fairy Tail B- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=2**

**3rd. Sabertooth- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Natsu and Kagura squared off again, eyes dark and filled with angry determination. The Salamander snarled, "Let's end this."

Kagura brought Archenemy back to swing as she challenged him, "I will not hold back!"

"Fine with me!" Natsu growled, swinging Igneo and colliding the blade with Kagura's, but his eyes widened in surprise when the Mermaid Heel mage sent him flying from the force of her slash.

He flipped back and skidded to a stop, his head whipping up to watch Kagura rush him again. Natsu waited for her to get in close, then ducked under her next swing and rammed the pommel of his sword into her stomach with enough force to make her choke. Kagura tch'd and then slammed her knee into the point of his jaw, making him recoil and leap back as she followed with another slash.

Natsu took a deep breath and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Kagura didn't slow down as she thrust Archenemy at the flames in a stabbing motion, "Strong Form!" The blaze parted upon contact with the sword, allowing its wielder to attack Natsu with a swift attack, "Slashing Form!"

The Salamander quickly brought Igneo up and stopped Kagura's strike with the flat of the blade, using the force making him go backwards to jump and spin rapidly, slashing diagonally and scoring a cut from the base of her spine up to her shoulder blades. Kagura cried out in pain, staggering to keep her footing as Natsu landed, then shot forward for another slash, this time with Igneo blazing with flames, "Fire Fang!"

Kagura spun around at the last second, bringing Archenemy up with a shout, "Guard Form!"

Natsu slashed at her, then roared in shock as the damage from his own attack was dealt onto him instead, sending him tumbling to the ground. Rising to his feet and breathing heavily, he glared at Kagura, who returned the piercing expression. The Salamander hissed, "Damn, you're strong…" _I can't take too many more hits like that..._

"You as well…" Kagura panted, still wincing at the damage to her back. She could feel that the cut, while not deep, was spilling blood at a dangerous rate. Her vision wavered for a second before it evened out. Kagura bit her lip to block out a wave of pain. _I..will not last much longer like this…_

**/**

Freed watched the fight with nervousness, "They're evenly matched…"

"Maybe not. Kagura just took a serious hit." Bixlow argued.

Evergreen shook her head, "But Natsu's already tired from fighting Zancrow and Kurohebi…"

Happy sighed, "How about I worry about Natsu's fight? Aren't you guys forgetting something? Laxus is fighting Ur and Jura right now…"

The change was immediate as the Thunder God Tribe yelled in unison, "LAXUS!"

Happy sniggered, "Works every time."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch giggled.

**/**

Laxus faced off with Ur and Jura as the three exchanged tense looks, as though waiting for a silent cue to release the battle-starving monsters within their bodies.

Ur smiled with deceptive kindness, "Do try to entertain me, boys. Now that we're out of that stadium, I no longer have to hold back..and the same can be said for you two as well…Don't disappoint me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Jura promised, eyes dark with anticipation.

Laxus smirked, "Instead of talking, why don't we get this thing started. Let's set the beasts loose from their cages…"

The three remained still for a moment, then Laxus took a half step forward and all waiting went straight to hell.

Jura's hands whipped towards his opponents as he shouted, "Rockiron Pillars!" Several giant pillars of rock erupted from the ground and bore down on the Fairy Tail mages with incredible speed.

Laxus transformed into a lightning bolt and zipped around the mass of rock, then flew past Jura, delivering a fierce right hook to the man's jaw. He came around for a second attack, but his eyes widened when Ur suddenly appeared in his face with a grin, then landed a powerful kick straight up into his chin, sending him flying upwards several meters with a choking gasp.

"Rockiron Fist!" Jura bellowed, creating a huge fist of stone and directing it at Ur.

The woman grabbed the rock with her bare hands as it came in to hit her with a shout, "Flash Freeze!" The stone fist instantly froze, then shattered into large chunks, which Ur sent flying at the male Wizard Saint, "Comet Rosen!"

Jura howled as the first few frozen boulders crashed into him, but then clapped his hands together, "Rock Mountain!" A giant made of rock erupted from the earth and protected him from the remaining frozen stones, which all left huge craters in the mountainous figure.

She got ready for a second attack, then cried out as Laxus returned and punched her head straight down from above, "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

Ur spat red from the force, then retaliated by jabbing Laxus in the stomach with a fist encased in ice, then spun rapidly and aimed a kick at his jaw. As the S-Class mage doubled over from the hit to his stomach, he kept ducking down and narrowly avoided Ur's follow-up, making her lose her balance so he could fire several spheres of electricity at her point-blank range, "Thunder Bullets!" The female Wizard Saint was sent sprawling from the resulting explosion.

Laxus flew at her for another shot, then coughed as a pillar of rock blasted out of the earth and caught him in the chest, sending him in the opposite direction. An instant later though, he transformed into lightning and launched himself at Jura instead. The male Wizard Saint waited for him to get close, then struck him in the head with a fearsome cry, "Haaah!" Laxus grit his teeth from the force of the blow, then delivered a vicious uppercut to his opponent's jaw. Jura recoiled and grinned, but neither man stuck their opponent again.

Ur set a fist on her open palm, then thrust them forward with a yell, "Ice Make: Rose Garden!" A huge mass of frozen roses burst from her palms and blasted towards the two fighting men.

Laxus transformed into lightning and dodged while Jura pointed his hand at the oncoming ice, "Rockiron Wall!" Massive walls of solid rock emerged from the ground instantly and blocked the first few roses, but Jura had miscalculated the speed at which they could grow and widened his eyes in surprise when the mass of frozen flowers grew around his walls and enveloped him, freezing the male Wizard Saint solid.

A lightning bolt crashed down onto Ur, making her grit her teeth, but she stood firm, glaring up into the air as Laxus got ready to throw another. She held her hand up at him with a shout, "Quit flying around up there!" A blizzard suddenly smote the S-Class mage, knocking him from the sky, but he dove down at Ur with a fist raised, crackling with lightning. She smirked up at him, "I've known you since you were a kid, Laxus! I know all your tricks!" Ur ducked under his right hook, then slammed her palm into his jaw, making him skid back before the female Wizard Saint launched another attack at him, "Rose Vine!"

Laxus roared from pain as a frozen, thorny rose vines slashed him across the chest, but he didn't waver and brought down a massive lightning bolt, "Raging Bolt!"

Ur cried out as the bolt slammed into her and generated a large explosion. For a moment, she staggered, then regained her balance and grinned at Laxus with surprise and excitement, "Well, well…You _were _training over the last three months..I'm impressed…"

Laxus grinned back in response, breathing heavily as he got ready for another attack, but then they heard cracking sounds, quickly followed by an explosion as Jura burst from his icy prison, walking from the remains of the shattered rose garden with a smirk, "Now, now…don't tell me you've gotten tired while I was away? Master Makarov's-"

"Hold it right there, old man." Laxus interrupted. He caught his breath and sneered at the male Wizard Saint, "If it wasn't clear already..while we fight like this, I'm not anybody's grandson, and neither of you are famous wizards with some prestigious title…" Laxus cracked his neck as he growled, "We're just..three gladiators…"

Jura smiled with satisfaction, "That's the voice..of a man who can back up his words…"

"I couldn't have put it better myself…" Ur agreed, releasing her aura to chill the air with freezing mist.

**/**

The spectators in the colosseum were roaring from excitement, thrilled from the action of watching two such high level battles.

Chapati riled them up even further, "What incredible skill! Power! Spirit! This is the pinnacle of the Grand Magic Games! This is the ultimate clash of the titans!"

"That's a very good description…what with two Wizard Saints and a high ranking S-Class mage going at it…" Yajima mused.

Mato cheered, "Let's not forget that Natsu and Kagura are also very high level! Their battle is just as exciting-Kabo!"

Yajima frowned, "It would seem Gajeel is still wandering the city, but…I have yet to see Alexei or Obra since the Grand Magic War Game began…"

Chapati scratched his head, "Come to think of it..you're right…What are they up to, anyways?"

**/**

Hisui narrowed her eyes at the screen, observing the clashing mages with an intense gaze, "If what that person told me is true…"

"The first impossible event should occur soon, yes?" Darton finished, then shook his head, "Such a possibility..I'm quite skeptical such a thing could actually occur."

The princess didn't waver, "All we can do is watch..and wait."

**/**

Gajeel followed the faint scent until he turned to an alleyway and finally found his target.

Alexei regarded him with little surprise, "Ah, Gajeel…I was getting lonesome…"

"Well here I am, you old fart. I hope you're ready for a thrashing..Gee-hee…" Black Steel chuckled.

The Raven Tail mage laughed in return, "Well, before we begin…I would like you to bear witness to my grand plan as it bears fruit."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, "What sorta scheme did you cook up this time?"

Alexei pointed at the lacrima vision nearby, which showed Laxus, Ur, and Jura all going at it with fierce attacks. He spoke softly, but it was edged with malice, "Those three are the strongest in this tournament..it's undoubtable that they are the leaders of their teams as well. At this moment, all three are in one spot…and too busy to notice the raven preparing to swoop down on them."

Black Steel froze, "What?"

**/**

Laxus, Ur, and Jura panted, becoming tired from the fight as their magic dealt serious damage to the three powerful mages.

Ur sucked in air sharply and set her fist on an open palm again, "I'd say we're about ready to wrap this up, gentlemen…"

"I would agree…" Jura grunted, bringing his hands together as if in prayer.

Laxus sparked with lightning, growling as he charged his next spell, "Whoever is still standing after this..is the monster of the monsters. The strongest mage..?"

He paused as Jura chuckled modestly, "Oh, no, my friend, not the strongest. Though I have risen to the fifth strongest and Ur's position is most definitely on par with my own…there are four mages, if you can even call them mages, far exceeding either of us. Those people..you could call them gods, so immense is their power. The Deities of Ishval…" Jura closed his eyes for a moment, "To call us the strongest of humans would be more accurate..there is no shame in that title."

"Deities or not..this fight is between us, not Gods of a foreign country." Ur murmured, making the air freeze with her magic as her eyes darkened and she prepared a spell, "Let's end this."

The men also prepared to fire their attacks, then all three rushed forward to strike at each other. The magic in the air spiked…

…And then disappeared entirely.

Laxus, Ur, and Jura froze, then suddenly fell to their knees.

"What the hell?!" Laxus hissed.

Ur fell over on her side with at weakened gasp, "M-my..magic..!"

"I..my power is..!" Jura managed to grunt as he hit the ground and lost all strength.

**/**

Makarov's heart skipped a beat, "What?! What just-!"

Mavis gasped, "Th-this is..!"

**/**

Movement caught Laxus's eyes, then his breath as he registered the cloaked figure which had jumped between the three fighting mages.

Obra.

Ur was stunned. _This man is..! The one who attacked Wendy, Charle, and Lucy! But..! It can't be!_

Jura stared up at the newcomer weakly, realizing what had just happened. _He drained..our magic power..instantly?!_

**4th-1st. Raven Tail: 47+15=62**

**/**

The stadium fell silent in absolute shock.

Chapati finally broke the disbelieving quiet with a choking gasp, "Th-th-th-this…is..Obra..struck down all three fighting mages..with a single sweep…"

"Raven Tail..just went from fourth straight up to first…" Yajima managed, eyes wide.

Mato's eyes were in danger of popping out of his head while his jaw hit the floor with a cracking sound.

**/**

Oobaba was in utter shock, "WHAT?!"

Sherry gasped, "No way! He..that guy..he scored 4 on the MPF, but..! He defeated two _Wizard Saints…_and Laxus Dreyar at the same time?! That's not..there's no way!"

The Lamia Scale Guildmaster almost snapped mentally, shrieking from the defeat, "I-I-I'm rolling in my grave!" Her magic made her spin around rapidly until she was dizzy, fell over, and passed out.

**/**

The Thunder God Tribe howled with disbelief.

Happy's fur was fluffed up, eyes wide and teary while his voice trembled, "N-no way..Laxus..Ur..they…"

"Waahh…" Frosch cried, tears running down her face.

Makarov's face was pale, "Ivan..you…what have you done..?"

Mavis bit her lip, "This..they planned this..they deliberately waited for the team leaders to be in one spot and weaken each other to escape detection..then struck all three down at once…Brilliant…"

"Don't compliment them!" Freed snarled, furious that Laxus had been defeated by such a deceitful attack, "Raven Tail's now at the top, while we're left with just Natsu and Gajeel! They're already exhausted, but Alexei and Obra are both fresh!"

Levy's hands were clasped over her mouth, eyes wide with fear, "Gajeel…Natsu..."

Romeo wanted to cry, "Do we stand any chance at all..?"

**/**

Gajeel couldn't believe his eyes, but he definitely believed in the huge swell of rage building up within him.

Alexei laughed victoriously, "And with that, our triumph has been set in stone..Kagura and Minerva are both too exhausted to defeat me..The Salamander is also on his last legs while you, Gajeel…You shall have the honor of being my first victim.." His chuckle became dark and sadistic, "This is the power of the ultimate Anti-Fairy Tail guild..the mighty claws which shall tear off your wings…" Alexei's cackle ran out over the silence of the city, like a raven cawing his success over a thievery.

_"You..son of a bitch…"_ Gajeel breathed, pupils reduced to slits and fangs bared in fury.

**/**

Hisui's eyes were wide. Darton broke the silence with as even a tone as he could manage, "So..it happened after all…the three most powerful mages..all defeated in an instant while Raven Tail flew through the rankings straight to first place…"

The princess gulped, "No one would have predicted that. Not in this tournament, and especially not after Obra's poor show on the third day…The first outcome has become reality, so…" Her eyes remained glued to the screen, "Will the other outcome..become a truth as well?"

**/**

Natsu and Kagura swung their blades, connecting again as they pushed against the other, struggling desperately to overpower their opponent. Both were getting exhausted, sweat pouring down their bodies and mixing with the blood from their wounds. They'd moved the battle inside a huge hall, destroying stone pillars every time an attack was deflected or missed.

The Salamander winced as they clashed again. _Dammit..At this rate…_

Kagura felt her vision waver again, then snapped back into reality, barely registering the pain in her back. _My strength will fail me if I do not settle this match soon..!_

Igneo and Archenemy collided again, but this time the impact jarred Natsu's hand, making his cry out and drop his sword from shock.

Kagura wasted no time and lunged at him immediately, slashing furiously at her stunned opponent. Natsu barely managed to lean away and dodge the attack that was aimed at his head, then flipped backwards out of his opponent's range with a tch. _Shit..my hand hurts…_In fact, his left wrist throbbed with such pain that he decided it was probably broken, or at the least fractured.

He was forced to jump away as Kagura rushed him, swinging Archenemy in an arc at his neck. Unarmed and wounded, Natsu just focused on dodging until his opponent managed to land a glancing blow on his ankle and disrupt his footing. He crashed against a wall behind him, panting and wincing from pain while he glared up at Kagura, who approached him calmly, though still gasped from exhaustion, "You truly are powerful, but..your bout with Sabertooth and Raven Tail has weakened you, it seems…"

Natsu bit his lip, thinking as fast as he could for a solution to the situation. Something clicked and he rose up to one knee, still glaring at his opponent, "Even if I lose..there's something I want to know…What's your connection to Jellal?"

As it turned out, asking that question was probably a really bad idea. Kagura glared at him menacingly, then kicked the Salamander with enough force to crack the wall behind him. He choked on blood, then managed to hiss out, "What the hell happened between you two?!"

Kagura regarded him, then apparently lowered her mental barriers, speaking softly, but her voice was filled with a burning rage that shocked even Natsu, "Erza..may have told you once of a boy who she knew at the Tower of Heaven. A boy Jellal murdered in cold blood…Simon. That boy..was my older brother."

The Salamander's eyes widened, feeling a spark of familiarity in the name. _Simon..yeah, Erza did tell me once…_

Kagura went on, recovering her breath and pouring her bitter anger and sadness into the words, "We were without worldly possessions, having been orphaned at a young age, but we were content. That all changed during the child hunts 15 years ago, and brought those times to a violent end. Simon was taken..but I escaped and spent every waking moment afterwards searching for him. Later, I had my fortuitous encounter with Milianna, and she told me of how Jellal slew my brother and exiled the others from the Tower of Heaven…" Kagura bit her lip until it bled, "They were comrades for years, yet Jellal still killed Simon when they could have escaped to freedom…Since that revelation, my vision has been shrouded by darkness..a darkness which seeks to bathe Jellal's blood on my sword."

Natsu was quiet for a bit, digesting the information until he dared to open his mouth again, "Erza..told me that story before, but..you're wrong. Milianna wasn't even present during that final battle. The only people who knew what happened were Erza..Jellal..and Simon…" Natsu stared down at the ground, "Jellal wasn't the one who killed Simon..Erza told me..it was one of the dark mages who kidnapped them..That man apparently tried to kill Erza and Jellal..but Simon used his body to protect them…"

Kagura's eyes widened and she grasped Archenemy tightly as Natsu kept talking, "Jellal and Simon were comrades..they both united to protect Erza because they loved her…that's the truth…"

The Mermaid Heel mage was silent for a while, the breeze ominous as her grip on the sheathed blade grew ever tighter. She finally spoke, but the calm in her voice was betrayed by an even greater anger, "So..Titania played a role as well…" Natsu glanced up at her in confusion, then his blood ran cold as he took in the fury lighting up Kagura's face, "Then both she and Jellal are to be slaughtered by my blade…"

The Salamander's breath caught in his throat, "Wh-what?! But Simon- he gave his life to protect them!"

"If not for their weakness, he'd have never died in the first place!" Kagura shouted, bringing her sword up and preparing to finish the battle.

Natsu bared his fangs at her, "If that's the way you want it, then…fine. Just remember after you kill them that every drop of blood you spilled is a tear Simon cried..a piece of his soul that you cut with your own sword..."

Kagura's rage sharpened exponentially. Her voice shook with the sheer intensity of the fury she felt coursing through her veins, "You dare-"

"_You're_ gonna be the one who really killed Simon!" Natsu roared, sending Kagura's enraged mind into snapping.

The Mermaid Heel mage grasped the hilt of her blade, not caring if Natsu was completely unrelated to the death of her brother. His words, however truthful left angry wounds on her heart that hungered for redemption. Crying and screaming with rage, she unsheathed her sword while Natsu glared up at her all the while unflinchingly.

**/**

The people in the colosseum gasped with shock, covering their eyes as they realized the severity of the situation.

Arania shouted, "Kagura, no!"

"Is she really gonna..?" Beth covered her mouth with her hands.

Risley shrieked, "Don't do it! Don't unsheathe the sword!"

**/**

Fairy Tail stared in shock as Natsu faced Kagura while the Swordswoman prepared to end the Salamander's life.

Makarov paled. _Her killing intent is seeping out of every pore!_

**/**

Kagura slashed down at Natsu with the unsheathed Archenemy, the resulting slash creating a huge trail of devastation that sliced building in half many streets away.

**/**

Screams of horror rang throughout the stadium from the spectators, utterly frightened from the violence of the last strike.

**/**

Kagura stared as the smoke cleared, then her eyes widened as the debris dissipated to reveal Natsu still in a crouch, red scales over his body while he blocked her sword strike with the back of his right hand. The blade had dug in slightly, but the wound was minor. Natsu let out a long, hissing breath full of anger, "I'm not dying here, you crazy mermaid…"

**/**

Fairy Tail watched, sighing with relief when they saw Natsu was okay

**/**

The Swordswoman glared at the Salamander as he pulled his hand away, releasing a small spurt of blood as he stood up with a growl, "A lot of people made it so I'm still alive…" Flames rippled over his body, enhanced by the Dragon Force while he kept speaking, "Erza..Wraith..Coco..Mystogan..Fairy Tail..Sting, and Lisanna…"

Natsu brought a fist up and pointed it at his opponent, grinning with elongated fangs and bright eyes, "Dying after all the sacrifices they made…would be a slap in the face to them all."

Kagura lunged at him, screaming angrily, "You, Erza, Jellal…I'll slaughter you all!"

Natsu dodged the sword swing, moving in past her guard so he was face to face with opponent, "Anger is my power just as much as it is yours. If that's how you honestly feel, then I won't stop you from being that way." His eyes narrowed as flames rippled over his hands, "But I ain't just gonna let you kill me and my friends, either."

The strike was made with blinding speed as Natsu roared, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Kagura was sent spinning into the air by the powerful burning attack, eyes going wide from shock.

**/**

In the Domus Flau, Fairy Tail cheered wildly, thrilled that Natsu had turned the fight around and come out on top.

Happy jumped for joy, "That's Natsu for you!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch cheered.

Makarov smiled. _Magnificent! A Secret Dragon Slayer Art in an instant! Even I had trouble following that attack with my eyes!_

**/**

Chapati was stunned, "What incredible power and spirit! Even badly wounded, Natsu still pulled off an attack like that!"

Yajima chuckled, "As expected…"

"That..that was amazing…" Mato said, truly in awe of the Salamander's strength.

**/**

The Mermaid Heel guild wasn't sure whether to be sad or relieved that Kagura had been stopped from dealing a death blow, so their expressions were slightly mixed.

Arania almost cried, "Kagura..lost? Even with Archenemy unsheathed…"

**/**

Despite the severe blow, Kagura struggled to her feet, panting from pain and exhaustion. Natsu turned to face her, recovering his breath from the intense burst of magic he'd released,

Kagura's eyes were hidden under her dark hair, but tears were visibly pouring down her face, "I..I…" As she spoke, the roof over her head suddenly exploded and started to cave in on them.

Natsu's eyes widened as he realized the rubble would fall straight onto Kagura's head, so he shot forward without a word and shoved her aside, screeching as a boulder crashed onto his back and slammed him into the ground. The stone pinned him to the ground, leaving him at the mercy of the Swordswoman.

At the moment, Kagura was more surprised than she was angry, stunned that Natsu had thrown himself in the path of the boulders in her place. She stammered in disbelief, "Y-you..why?"

The Salamander caught his breath from the pain of being crushed, then gasped weakly, "You..I think I know who you are..It was just a story Erza told me once about her village..she only ever told it one time, but..I remember…" He glanced up at her with a pained smile, "You..you grew up in the Rosemary Village too, right?"

Kagura froze and her eyes grew wide, but she just nodded as Natsu went on, "Erza told me about the time when Zeref's followers attacked..she said there was a little girl there, crying for her brother…"

The Mermaid Heel mage gasped, "Th-that is..! That's not possible…"

Natsu grinned, "You met Erza 15 years ago..she was that girl who hid you during the attack…"

**/**

Erza was watching the battle, and she felt tears well in her eyes as she too realized the connection. Kagura really was the girl she had saved, had sacrificed her freedom for. _All this time..she was…_

**/**

Kagura started crying with disbelief, but Natsu wasn't done, wincing at the pain in his back while he murmured softly, "Erza made herself crazy sometimes..she didn't know if you managed to avoid getting captured. Even when we got back..I remember her looking up a list of children recorded by the Magic Council over the last seven years who were confirmed to have been taken…"

He trailed off as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise from a malicious presence. Natsu glanced over his shoulder, eyes going wide as he realized a dark figure was leaping at them.

Obra.

Natsu opened his mouth to screech a warning, but Kagura had already noticed his presence. Eyes narrowed in a glare, the woman shot forward and slashed rapidly, catching the Raven Tail mage by surprise that she was still mobile. The swift, unexpected counterattack to Obra's ambush left the man dangerously vulnerable, and Kagura only needed to strike once to turn the surprise attack around. Archenemy gleamed in a swift arc, then cut Obra down and sent the man flying into a stone pillar, where he slumped down and did not rise again.

**6th. Mermaid Heel: 31+1=32**

**/**

Now the crowd cheered.

Chapati exclaimed with excitement, "What a surprise! Obra's came out of nowhere, but Kagura managed to defeat him with an instantaneous slash! This mermaid can still fight back!"

**/**

Erza watched Kagura defend Natsu and smiled.

Mira laughed lightly, "Now that's what I call returning the favor."

**/**

Kagura wiped away her tears, then crawled over to Natsu and with a heave, shoved the boulder pinning him down off his back, unsteadily rising to her feet. The Salamander sat up as she looked to the ground, "I need to process this..but..for now..I admit that this is my lo-!"

She was cut off with a choke as Igneo suddenly sprouted from her stomach, making her eyes go wide with shock. Natsu froze, mouth falling open in horror. Minerva peeked out from behind the Swordswoman, smiling with satisfaction.

**/**

The Mermaid Heel mages were horrified. The spectators in the colosseum screamed from shock.

**/**

Erza covered her mouth with her hands while Mira gasped beside her, "Oh, my god…"

**/**

Minerva tore the blade from Kagura as quickly as she'd stabbed her, letting the Swordswoman fall to the ground with a thud. Natsu stared at Kagura with horrified disbelief as Minerva threw Igneo to the ground and spoke with deceptive softness, "Natsu is the victor..but the points are all mine…"

The Sabertooth mage grinned sadistically, eyes dark while she giggled evilly, "Now you see first hand how a king fights…only the most delectable of morsels can appease our appetites. Things like the heads of mermaids..or fairies with their wings rendered asunder…"

**3rd-1st. Sabertooth: 57+5=62**

She threw her head back and laughed in her terrible triumph while Natsu glared up at her with rage and growled, "You bitch…"


	55. Gloria (A)

**Finally! I literally rewrote this chapter like five times until I liked it. Sorry for the wait, but here is the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games! I'll be going on hiatus for a bit to give the manga some space, but I'll be writing short stories for this series in the meantime! **

**NOTE: After much consideration, I've decided to make this one of two possible endings to the Grand Magic War Game. Both of them lead to the same result, but as I have yet to update in a while, and felt like I could put in an alternate ending to the Grand Magic Games, the next chapter will be a treat for those who want a different ending to this battle.**

**That's all for now, so as always everyone, thanks for reading, and see you soon!**

_Chapter 55 (A): Gloria_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Raven Tail- 62pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**1st. Sabertooth- 62pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**3rd. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=0 Normal=1**

**3rd. Fairy Tail B- 59pt. Leader=0 Normal=2**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 32pt. Leader=0 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Natsu glared at Minerva from where he rested on his knees. Kagura was clutching at her side from the agony in her stomach after being stabbed. The Sabertooth mage kept smiling with a deadly delight towards the two wounded mages.

The Salamander bared his fangs, hissing angrily, "You…"

Minerva smirked, "You'll be my main course Natsu..though in your current state..my victory will be anti-climatic at best…"

"..Milia..!" Kagura gasped, giving Natsu a pleading look through teary eyes, "Please..save Milia..!"

Natsu nodded, his gaze dark, "I got it."

Raising an eyebrow, Minerva sneered, "In your tattered condition, I'd like to see you try to save yourself, let alone the two little kittens." Her expression was filled with open malice, "If it wasn't obvious already, Natsu Dragneel, I'm not the merciful type…" She waved her hands and suddenly Natsu's fractured wrist was enveloped in wave matter, which yanked him off his feet and crashed the Salamander through the stone pillars in the room while he screeched from pain.

Kagura watched helplessly, gritting her teeth, "Natsu…"

"This will be the grand finale." Minerva chuckled darkly, "This will be the public execution of the Salamander."

**/**

"Take this, you bastard! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Gajeel roared, punching at Alexei with all his might.

The armored man took the blow to his chest without any attempt at blocking. Gajeel's strike landed cleanly, but did little more than push Alexei back a little.

Gajeel winced at a pain in his hand, eyes widening when he saw his knuckles cracked and bleeding. He stared at Alexei in disbelief, "What the hell? What's with that armor?"

"Are you surprised?" Alexei asked mockingly, "After that defeat on the fourth day, I decided it was time to put appearances aside and go with a failsafe. That weaker gold armor is nothing compared to this…My Raven King's Armor. This effectively nullifies all magic based attacks. Only those with power equal or exceeding Wizard Saints can hope to damage this with magic."

Gajeel tch'd and bit his lip. _This bastard…If that armor really makes my magic useless, then I doubt I can even eat it. And I was gonna use, "That" to beat him down, too…Damn this guy and his black market magic. If they looked that shady metal over, I doubt it'd be legal, but…I'm not here to break rules! I'm here to break this guy!_

Alexei charged him and Gajeel replied, engaging in a fierce hand to hand combat that was looking more and more like the Raven Tail mage had the upper hand. Without his magic, even Gajeel's tough fists were doing more damage to him than to Alexei.

Black Steel howled as Alexei's armored claws sliced open his shoulder and smashed him into a building. Gajeel growled with anger and frustration. _Damn, this guy..!_

**/**

The wind was knocked out of Natsu as Minerva slammed him to the ground with great speed and force. His injured hand was released from the wave matter as he struggled to his feet, panting from the burning pain in his wrist and the lack of air in his lungs. Natsu glared at the Sabertooth mage with unwavering strength.

Minerva smirked, "Oh? It seems you've still got fight left…Considering your condition, that's actually pretty impressive."

"You ain't seen anything yet." Natsu hissed, "I'm gonna wipe the floor with you. Just you wait."

"Ooh! I'm shaking in my boots." Minerva said sarcastically, pointing two fingers at him and generating an explosion at the Salamander's feet. While Natsu went flying back, she held her arms out and created more blasts all around her as she shouted, "My War God Magic allows me to manipulate anything within my field of vision! Any space around me can be altered as I see fit!"

Natsu skidded to a stop and grinned unexpectedly, "Well, that's nice to know. You just saved me the trouble of figuring out your powers. Now all I gotta do is use that against you."

Minerva sneered, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy, little boy. I'm going to use this magic to finish you off. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Heh." he snorted, but winced inwardly. _This really isn't gonna be easy…I've got some magic power left, but I can't just use it at random. I'll have to save as much as I can and hit her with one powerful attack._

**/**

"Haaah!" Alexei cried, elbowing Gajeel in the stomach to make him double over before ramming his armored fist into Black Steel's nose. As Gajeel recoiled from pain, Alexei grabbed him by the throat and threw him away into one side of a building and out the other.

Gajeel wiped the smarting tears from his eyes, hissing from the stinging pain in his nose. Cracked? Almost certainly. Broken? Maybe not. He glared as Alexei walked through the destroyed building towards him, "Is that all you've got?"

Alexei snorted, "Do not mock me, little dragon. Your taunts will not provoke me. I seek only to destroy you as utterly and thoroughly as I can. That is all."

Black Steel stood up and got into another fighting stance, waving his hand in challenge, "Come on, then. Gimme all you got..."

**/**

Levy gulped, "Gajeel…"

Cana bit her lip, "This is tough…Natsu and Gajeel both look like they're totally wiped out…"

"It doesn't help that Alexei's fresh and has hardly taken any damage." Freed said darkly, "And even though Minerva has taken damage, her injuries aren't as extensive as Natsu's. This looks bad…"

Makarov did not look away from the screen, too focused on watching the Dragon Slayers fight, but he murmured calmly, "We can only wait and believe that they will pull through. They are both strong."

**/**

Natsu growled as Minerva pushed him back into a stone pillar with enough force to crack it. He fell to one knee, desperately trying to catch his breath before the next attack.

Minerva smiled sadistically, "My, my, you _are _tough. Such a strong spirit…I will thoroughly enjoy breaking it with the best of my abilities…"

"Keep dreaming, lady." Natsu hissed painfully, "I'll make you eat those words…"

There was a sudden crash, then Alexei burst in on the scene with Gajeel. The Raven Tail mage had Black Steel by the face, and proceeded to slam him into the stone floor. Gajeel grunted with pain and scrabbled to get loose, but when Alexei released him, the man stomped on the Iron Dragon's chest and charged dark magic between his hands. Gajeel's eyes widened. _Shit!_

Natsu roared, "Gajeel!"

_"Fall!"_ Alexei bellowed, then fired a beam of concentrated dark energy at Gajeel's head, creating a large explosion.

The shockwave which roared out forced Natsu to raise his arm as a shield, but the dust from the blast settled down within a few seconds. Alexei lifted the stunned Gajeel up with one hand, gripping his throat tightly. "Hm. So even _the _Black SteelGajeel is vulnerable against this armor…It seems your battle against Sabertooth earlier has also worn you down. You are not capable of recovering from a point-blank attack with my level of power behind it."

**1st. Raven Tail: 62+1=63**

**/**

_"Gajeel!" _Levy screamed.

Romeo felt tears welling in his eyes, "Even Gajeel…Now Natsu's fighting alone..!"

"Don't give up, Natsu!" Happy cried.

**/**

Natsu glared from Alexei to Minerva, uncertain as to which one he should attack first. Alexei still held Gajeel by the throat, so he was about to lunge for him until Minerva took a step closer.

Minerva smirked, "Do you understand now? Fairy Tail's time is long over. You cannot surpass Sabertooth. Even Raven Tail, the dark seed of your guild is bound for failure. But before that, I will personally shatter that indomitable will in your soul."

"Shut up." Natsu snarled, clenching his fists with anger, "I'll knock you out _and _that masked bastard. I'll start with you, so get ready. I'm getting Lisanna and Milianna back."

The Sabertooth mage's smile was twisted, "Oh…Well, I suppose I could just let them go…"

Natsu was taken aback, but something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed, "Ah?"

Minerva held a hand out and Milianna appeared out of thin air, then hit the ground hard. The Salamander was surprised, but Kagura wasted no time crawling over to her friend. The Swordswoman cradled Milianna's weakened form as Minerva chuckled, "The kitten is already incapacitated."

**2nd-1st. Sabertooth: 62+1=63**

Suddenly, Kagura gasped. Natsu glanced over at her, "What is it?"

Kagura was speechless, the expression on her face one of shock and rage. With trembling fingers, she removed Milianna's cloak and exposed the woman's back. Natsu froze. Milianna's skin was cut badly in several places, causing her to bleed profusely.

Minerva's grin was depraved with a sickening joy, "You have no idea how bored I was waiting for you two to finish. I had to kill time somehow." She disappeared into thin air, then reappeared on the rooftop of a tower behind her. Minerva smiled down at them cruelly, "Her screams were music to my ears…Which is more than I can say for your girl, Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu stiffened and whipped his head up to stare at her. His voice was low and menacing, "What did you just say..?"

Sneering with fiendish delight, Minerva held her hand over the edge of the rooftop and made Lisanna reappear. Natsu forgot how to breathe when he saw that the wounds on Lisanna's back were even more severe than Milianna's injuries. And she was too still, too limp in Minerva's grasp for him to take.

**1st. Sabertooth: 63+1=64**

Minerva made a mocking pout, "This one refused to scream." A devilish smile then, "So I punished her more for being silent."

Natsu's fury was _volcanic._

A violent blaze of flame erupted from the ground and engulfed him, but for once he raged in silence, which was possibly even more frightening than his usual roaring. Natsu's eyes were dark and unwavering, fixed solely on the two figures atop the tower.

**/**

Never had such a torrent of _rage _swept over Fairy Tail.

The guild was horrified by Lisanna's injuries, but the anger coursing through their veins made the spectators nearby them shift away silently in fear.

Even Mavis shook from emotion. Makarov spoke quietly, his eyes dark, "Do not be afraid, First Master. Natsu will not allow that woman to get away with this."

"…I..am not afraid…"

Makarov glanced at her and actually flinched away with fright. The rest of Fairy Tail also recoiled slightly.

Mavis's aura, once calm and serene, surged with a silent wrath that matched her deceptively soft voice.

_"I am simply too outraged to express myself with words."_

**/**

Alexei threw Gajeel aside and appraised Minerva's work, "Hm. What a sadistic woman."

Natsu continued to blaze until the raging fire made it impossible to see him clearly.

Kagura was on the ground holding Milianna close to her. She stared as the Salamander vanished from her sight, "Natsu…"

"Sala..mander..!" Gajeel choked and rolled onto his side painfully, watching the flames burn viciously.

Minerva laughed maliciously, "That's right. Show us your anger. But even with this, your power is not enough. Not in your currently injured state. Fall into nothingness, Fairy Tail!" She released Lisanna and the girl was dropped straight down towards the street from almost forty feet up.

Natsu shot forward in the cloud of flame, catching Lisanna from inside the blaze_. _He crashed into the tower and leaped back, skidding to a stop on the ground before Minerva's perch.

For a moment, both of them were hidden by the fire, but the blaze slowly died down.

Alexei grunted from surprise.

Kagura gasped.

Gajeel stared in shock.

**/**

The colosseum went dead silent.

Fairy Tail stared, wide eyed and open mouthed at the lacrima vision.

Happy was too stunned to say anything, but Frosch's voice quivered, "Wh-who is that..?!"

**/**

Lisanna regained consciousness, flinching from the pain in her back. She felt a strong arm around her waist holding her up and recognized the heat as Natsu's magic, but something was…off. She glanced up at him, then her breath caught in her throat. Lisanna's vision wavered for a moment, but when she could focus, her eyes flashed wide open. Her voice trembled weakly, "N-Natsu..?"

The figure holding her up was Natsu, but a much darker, more draconic version. Curved claws like an eagle's had grown from his fingers and toes. The already sharp fangs had become saber-like, so long now that they dug into his lower lip. Crimson scales covered his body, leaving only his upper chest and face with human skin. His vest was completely gone, leaving him clad only in his ragged white pants. His scarf was lying on the ground beside them.

The scariest part was definitely the _horns. _Jet-black, curved, and forward facing, two gleaming horns had sprouted on either side of his head. There was also a thick, red tail with black spikes along the top that had erupted from his lower back. The draconic appendage flicked slowly from side to side, like a stalking jungle cat's. All that remained of Natsu was the spiky pink hair, which seemed longer and wilder.

_"Grrr…"_ The deep growl made Lisanna flinch, then the figure's slitted black eyes glanced down at her for a moment. He seemed to appraise her, then set the scared girl down gently before looking back up at Minerva. The rage in his eyes was primeval in nature, not human.

Lisanna had never been more afraid in her life. _No way..is..is he becoming a dragon..?_

Minerva's eyes narrowed as she stared down at him, "That's impossible. You can't possibly have enough magic power left to use Dragon Force. And to such an extent…What have you done? Answer me, Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu didn't answer with words. The low growling continued, rising to a slight hiss at Minerva's voice.

Gajeel's eyes were huge. _It's like the Dragon Force we could use in Edolas, but..! This isn't the same…Salamander..what's happened to you?!_

While Kagura was too shocked to speak and Milianna was still dazed from pain, Alexei recovered from the surprise quickly. Rather than being frightened by the Salamander's transformation, he realized that the Dragon Slayer's back was open to him. Without a word, he lunged forward with the intent to knock his target out before it could respond.

Lisanna saw Alexei's movement out of the corner of her eye and shouted in a panic, "Natsu! Look out!"

Natsu glared over his shoulder at the rushing armored mage, not looking in the least bit fazed.

Alexei tch'd, but kept charging. _No matter. _He struck out for the back of Natsu's head. _I'm too close now for him to-What the-?!_

As he jabbed at the Salamander, a crimson wing suddenly exploded from his left shoulder blade and stopped the strike, then shoved the Raven Tail mage away. As Alexei skidded to a stop, another wing burst from his right shoulder.

While the people watching were stunned, Natsu's wings came back as he spun towards Alexei, then flapped forward with effortless strength-

The blast of wind sent Alexei flying with the force of a hurricane. Natsu let loose a massive roar as the armored mage crashed into a building and out the other side, momentarily stunned by the overwhelming force.

Kagura dragged Milianna behind a boulder and sheltered her from the violent burst of wind. The Swordswoman dared to glance out at the transformed Natsu. _What's happening? Where did all that power come from?!_

Gajeel went rolling away and slammed into a lamp post, which he scrabbled for and held onto to avoid getting sent further back. He yelled in protest, "O-oi, Salamander, watch it!"

Lisanna, sitting behind Natsu, was safe from the direct path of his attack, but the degree of power from that single flap shocked her. Even scarier was how he hadn't even hesitated to strike while his comrades were still in harm's way.

**/**

Levy gasped, "What the-he just attacked Gajeel!"

"What's going on?! Why does Natsu look like that?!" Cana demanded.

Freed sweated nervously, "I'm more interested in where that sudden mass of power came from…"

Makarov was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand why one of his Dragon Slayers suddenly resembled the creatures they were trained to kill.

**/**

The gust had sent up a strong breeze up at Minerva, but the woman just held an arm out and blocked it. Her eyes were narrowed. When the wind died down a few seconds later, she muttered slowly, "It doesn't seem like you can control yourself…No matter." She held her hand out and fired a mass of energy spheres out at the distracted Salamander.

Natsu didn't need Lisanna's warning this time. He whipped back around and snarled up at her, until the spheres got close. Then his wings started batting them aside with incredible speed, sending them ricocheting in every which direction.

Minerva's eyes widened, "How did you..?!"

Her question was ignored by Natsu, who suddenly flew up into the air and lunged at Minerva, slashing with his curved claws. The woman managed to duck in time to avoid getting cut, but she choked as Natsu's tail slammed into her face and knocked her off the tower.

She gritted her teeth for a moment, then relaxed as she fell. _It's fine. I can recover from this. It will take him time to come around again._

Her judgement served her poorly.

Natsu flipped backwards in midair, corkscrewing rapidly to increase his speed as he dove towards the Sabertooth mage. Minerva's eyes widened when the Salamander suddenly appeared directly above her. Before she could react, his fist crashed into her stomach with a blur of speed. The blow forced the air from her lungs and sent her straight to the ground, crushing the woman into the street with enough force to make a crater.

Minerva staggered back to her feet as Natsu hovered in midair, glaring down at her. The Salamander looked ready to move in for another attack, but then a beam of dark energy was fired at him. Natsu shifting rapidly and avoided the blast.

Alexei walked out from the rubble of the destroyed building. He grunted firmly, "I'm honestly impressed. That level of strength is one that could give even me problems…Sabertooth. For now, I think it's best for us to unite."

"No arguments here." Minerva muttered, silently planning a way to backstab Alexei and beat Natsu at the same time. Little did she know that Alexei was thinking the same thing.

It was a waste of time.

Natsu roared again, then dove down at them swiftly. He came close to the ground, then evened out sharply and flew between them, clotheslining the two mages with his wingtips.

Minerva skidded back, clutching at her throat for a moment, but recovered from the rapid blow quickly. She directed her hands at the buildings by Natsu as he flew around for another attack, "Ih Ragdo!" The buildings exploded, sending rubble flying everywhere. Several chunks of rock hit Natsu, but shattered upon impacting the hard dragon scales.

The Salamander growled, but even for a beast, he seemed to be mocking her.

Alexei sent forth a mass of paper dolls, which spiraled up in the air and surrounded the Salamander, then exploded violently.

**/**

"Natsu!" Romeo shouted.

Happy bristled, "That's dirty! They can't team up like that!"

**/**

As it turned out, their worry was misplaced. The smoke from the blast cleared to reveal Natsu covered by his wings, which had blocked the explosion with little damage done. The wings shifted and revealed Natsu's eyes.

Minerva and Alexei both recognized the dark rage residing in the reptilian orbs.

Natsu spread his wings again and dove at them with another roar. Alexei charged forward and jumped up, swinging a fierce punch at the Salamander. Natsu caught the blow with his horns and flicked his head violently, sending the armored mage way off course and crashed him into a building.

The Salamander kept diving, targeting Minerva with lethal intent. She caught Natsu's arm with the wave matter and hurled him aside, but he rolled in midair and recovered easily, touching the ground with his foot briefly. Natsu used the brief contact with the street to lunge forward and slash Minerva with his claws, cutting her skin open from the right shoulder all the way down her arm. The Sabertooth mage shrieked from pain, but Natsu flicked his head sideways and rammed his horns into her jaw, sending the woman sprawling into Alexei as the Raven Tail mage struggled to stand up.

Natsu shot back up into the air and inhaled deeply. For the first time since he transformed, he spoke, but his voice was a deep growl, _"Fire Dragon's…"_ Crimson energy charged in his mouth, different from his normal method.

**/**

Mavis saw the Salamander prepare his attack and paled. _That's..! It's more like Acnologia's breath than a regular dragon's!_

**/**

_"Giga Breath!" _Natsu roared, firing an intense fireball of white-hot energy from his jaws at the two stunned enemies.

The explosion was enormous, sending out a shockwave that blew the entire street into nonexistent smithereens. Even the lacrima cameras hovering by the battlefield were wiped out, getting damaged badly enough by the magic burst so that they ceased to function.

**/**

In the stadium, the lacrima vision went grey and fuzzy. As the crowd started to complain, Chapati settled them down quickly, "It seems the intense magic is causing us to experience technical difficulties! We'll get new cameras at the fight in minutes!"

**/**

Makarov was pale, his voice slight, "Somehow…I doubt minutes will be enough time for us to see how this all turns out…"

No one disagreed with him.

**/**

Gajeel was sent flying. He was too shocked from the force of the blast to even yell, only grunting in pain when he crashed into a boulder. _Holy shit..._

Kagura hid behind the rubble as long as she could until the shockwave ripped it apart and sent her and Milianna rolling away, but they were unharmed for the most part.

Lisanna curled in a ball on the ground, clutching Natsu's scarf while she desperately tried to avoid getting blasted away. She could feel the earth shaking from the overwhelming power of the breath attack, felt the air burning from the intense heat, but she was left unharmed from the blast. Only when the wind died down did she dare to open her eyes and sit up, staring at the devastation.

A giant crater was all that remained of the street, with a circular area of destruction all around it. Rubble was everywhere, some of it glowing red from the intense burst of heat.

In the center of the crater lay Alexei. He must have been unconscious since he didn't move, but Lisanna realized with a shock that the blaze had fused his armor with the stone below him. Alexei was literally pinned to the ground.

Minerva was nowhere in sight and for a moment Lisanna was afraid that maybe she'd been incinerated, but then the Sabertooth mage reappeared out of thin air and collapsed by Alexei. She had probably teleported to avoid the attack, but had not been left unscathed. The slash wounds that Natsu left on her arm had been cauterized by the flames.

The Sabertooth mage struggled to sit up, eyes wide from pain and shock. She managed to look up at Natsu, who still hovered in midair a ways above her. Minerva stared up at him with slight fear, "What _are _you..?"

Natsu watched her for a moment, then his body suddenly went ablaze as he growled fiercely, _"Secret Dragon Slayer Art…"_

Minerva paled, holding a hand up as if to ward him off, "P-please! No more! I surrender!"

Her pleas for mercy were ignored. Natsu roared and dove down, horns aimed for the woman's throat.

Lisanna was unable to stand by and watch any longer. She ran forward, doing her best to ignore the pain in her back. As Natsu got closer to Minerva, who was crying and begging for mercy at this point, Lisanna screamed at him, _"Natsu, stop it!"_

Gajeel saw what she was trying to do and screeched, "Get back! He can't hear you!"

Natsu was meters away when Lisanna beat him to Minerva and spread her arms out to either side, trying to shield the Sabertooth mage. The Salamander's eyes widened and he flared his wings out, coming to a jarring stop. The flames around his body dissipated some, but those at the head kept going and engulfed the two girls.

Kagura was at a loss for words. _Was the attack stopped too late? Did both of them get hit?!_

"N-no..no frickin..way…" Gajeel managed, eyes wide and jaw hanging loosely.

As the flames cleared, Minerva collapsed, her body visibly burned and spent past its limits. She toppled to the side, eyes wide, but unseeing from unconsciousness.

Lisanna, however, seemed to be unharmed by the burning deluge and faced Natsu unflinchingly. He seemed startled by her sudden appearance, even more so when she grabbed his hands and tried to pull him down to earth, as he was still hovering a few feet in midair. Lisanna's lower lip quivered and her voice shook, "Stop it…No more fighting, Natsu..No more…"

Natsu stared at her for a few moments, then slowly lowered himself to the ground, the claws on his feet making a clicking sound as they met the destroyed street. Lisanna stepped forward and hugged him, but he made no move to return. He just stared past her uncomprehendingly, like he was in a daze.

Suddenly, the scales on his body faded from a fiery red to a light grey. Then they dissipated, like ashes after a great blaze. The horns, wings, and tail followed as a breeze came by, blowing them away with gentle ease just like the scales. His fangs shrunk down to their normal length and his claws retracted. Natsu's pink hair also seemed to settle down, the long, spiky mane shortening back to what it had been before his transformation.

Off to the side, Kagura sighed with relief while Milianna stirred with a groan.

Gajeel still hadn't taken his eyes off of the Salamander. _What the hell happened just now? _

Lisanna suddenly remembered that his scarf was still in her hand, so she silently wrapped the cloth around his neck. Natsu seemed to settle down a little with the scarf's familiar touch, and relaxed somewhat more when Lisanna's hand came up to touch his face.

But the relaxed look went tense again as his dark eyes clouded. Lisanna frowned, "Natsu? What is it?"

He didn't respond immediately, and instead glanced around the destroyed street with wide eyes. Natsu muttered with disbelief, "Did _I_ do all of this?"

Lisanna's eyes widened, "You..you don't remember?"

Natsu scratched his head, "W-well..not really…It's all kinda foggy, but…" He glanced away and bit his lip hard, "Did I attack you?"

"It doesn't matter." she said, shaking her head, "You didn't hurt me. I'm just glad you're back to normal."

His eyes darkened, "That doesn't make it okay. I…" Natsu's voice dropped to a terrified whisper, "I could've killed you…"

Lisanna pulled him back into a hug, "No you couldn't have. I don't believe that. For now…It's enough that you're okay. You didn't turn completely into a dragon."

Natsu just blinked exhaustedly, suddenly too tired for conversation. He unconsciously put an arm around Lisanna, instinctively seeking her naturally soothing presence.

**/**

The replacement lacrima cameras zoomed in a few minutes after Natsu's attack had destroyed the others.

In the Domus Flau, the spectators gasped at the sight of the devastated street, but chattered even more when Minerva and Alexei were seen lying on the ground in utter defeat. The sound went quiet as they realized that not only had Natsu reverted back to his human form, but he was still standing.

Chapati stammered, "Th-th-this is..! There you have it! Impossible as it may seem, Minerva and Alexei, the heads of Sabertooth and Raven Tail have gone down! Natsu Dragneel really beat them! With this, the winner of the Grand Magic Games is…"

**3rd-1st. Fairy Tail B: 59+10=69**

**/**

Romeo stared at the screen uncomprehendingly for several moments. Then Macao pulled him into a tight hug while he cried beside the guild. It took a second for it to click, but then Romeo gasped and felt tears well up in his eyes, along with an unbreakable smile.

Happy and Frosch hugged each other, crying in joy.

The members who had endured the torment of seven years at the bottom sobbed hysterically, too overwhelmed for words.

**/**

**_"FAIRY TAIL!"_**

**/**

The screams of excitement in the colosseum made the air shake.

Fireworks in the shape of the Fairy Tail insignia were launched sky high above the Domus Flau, lighting up the darkening sky.

**/**

Natsu heard the commotion even from halfway across Crocas. Lisanna smiled and looked up at him, "See? We won, thanks to you."

He allowed a small smile on his face, "Thanks to everyone. It wasn't just me…"

"That's true enough. I'm just glad this damn thing's over." Gajeel grunted, walking up with a grin.

Kagura and Milianna were right behind him, smiling sincerely. The Swordswoman dipped her head, "Congratulations. That was quite a feat you pulled off."

"What can you say? Erza's friends are all super strong!" Milianna laughed.

_"NATSU!"_

The Salamander turned at his name, grinning when he saw the rest of the two Fairy Tail teams running towards them, "Hey, guys! We won!"

Gray smirked, "Guess so. Not bad for a berserker flame-brain, Natsu." He probably would've said more, but Juvia hugged him with a happy squeal.

Erza smiled, "You fought magnificently. I have no qualms being on the losing team, after witnessing that battle."

"Thanks for giving Minerva a taste of her own medicine for us!" Mira laughed with a wink.

Elfman glanced at his younger sister, "Lisanna, are your injuries okay?"

Lisanna nodded, "Yeah, I'll be okay. It looks worse than it really is."

"Still, we should probably get those wounds checked out." Ur suggested.

Natsu felt a hand ruffle his hair and stared up at Laxus while the Lightning mage grinned, "I've gotta admit, Natsu, that was one hell of a win you pulled. When we get back to the guild, what do you say you and I have a match, eh?"

The Salamander's eyes widened in surprise for a second, then he grinned, "You got it!"

Lisanna and Mira exchanged knowing smiles, then pulled the two Dragon Slayers apart before a fight could start.

"Before you two start blowing everything up, can we at least celebrate Fairy Tail's return as the number one guild in Fiore?" Lisanna asked with amusement.

Ur glanced around, "Before that, has anyone seen the signal flare?" At the shaking of heads, the Wizard Saint frowned, "What's taking so long? Even with Sting and Rogue there, they must be having trouble, but…"

Natsu looked to the side towards Mercurius. _Are you guys okay? Sting…Lucy…_

**/**

Hisui and Darton walked through the castle towards the bottom floor.

Darton grunted, "The top mages being felled in a single blow, and Natsu partially turning into a dragon to defeat Minerva and Alexei single handedly…"

"No one could've predicted that. No one in their right mind." Hisui muttered, "But that person did predict it. Which means the future they warned me of will become a reality…It's time we unveiled our strongest weapon to save humanity. The Eclipse 2 Cannon will be our last bastion against the dragons!"


	56. Gloria (B)

**PLEASE READ: This is an alternate ending to the Grand Magic War Game, as it has bothered me for the longest time just how much I liked the way I wrote it the first time. Both endings lead up to the same events, but the major battles are where things change up.**

**I haven't left the site, you guys! I'm just having trouble writing the next chapter in the Reborn Oracion Seis arc and needed to write something else to spur my imagination into action! **

**So, I hope you like the alternate ending to the Grand Magic Games and as always, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. I went back and changed the text format for all the chapters in the Rising Dragon Champions. ALL of them. In addition, I've also added extra scenes to a few and changed some of the battles. For those of you that wanted a better Natsu vs Bacchus, you got it! The Dragon Slayers vs God Slayers also got a change up, so just go back, find the new bits I put in, and enjoy!**

_Chapter 55 (B): Gloria_

**Current Team Status:**

**1st. Raven Tail- 62pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**1st. Sabertooth- 62pt. Leader=1 Normal=0**

**3rd. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=0 Normal=1**

**3rd. Fairy Tail B- 59pt. Leader=0 Normal=2**

**5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**6th. Mermaid Heel- 32pt. Leader=0 Normal=1**

**7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

**8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)**

Natsu glared at Minerva from where he rested on his knees. Kagura was clutching at her side from the agony in her stomach after being stabbed. The Sabertooth mage kept smiling with a deadly delight towards the two wounded mages.

The Salamander bared his fangs, hissing angrily, "You…"

Minerva smirked, "You'll be my main course Natsu..though in your current state..my victory will be anti-climatic at best…"

"..Milia..!" Kagura gasped, giving Natsu a pleading look through teary eyes, "Please..save Milia..!"

Natsu nodded, his gaze dark, "I got it."

Raising an eyebrow, Minerva sneered, "In your tattered condition, I'd like to see you try to save yourself, let alone the two little kittens." Her expression was filled with open malice, "If it wasn't obvious already, Natsu Dragneel, I'm not the merciful type…" She waved her hands and suddenly Natsu's fractured wrist was enveloped in wave matter, which yanked him off his feet and crashed the Salamander through the stone pillars in the room while he screeched from pain.

Kagura watched helplessly, gritting her teeth, "Natsu…"

"This will be the grand finale." Minerva chuckled darkly, "This will be the public execution of the Salamander."

**/**

"Take this, you bastard! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Gajeel roared, punching at Alexei with all his might.

The armored man took the blow to his chest without any attempt at blocking. Gajeel's strike landed cleanly, but did little more than push Alexei back a little.

Gajeel winced at a pain in his hand, eyes widening when he saw his knuckles cracked and bleeding. He stared at Alexei in disbelief, "What the hell? What's with that armor?"

"Are you surprised?" Alexei asked mockingly, "After that defeat on the fourth day, I decided it was time to put appearances aside and go with a failsafe. That weaker gold armor is nothing compared to this…My Raven King's Armor. This effectively nullifies all magic based attacks. Only those with power equal or exceeding Wizard Saints can hope to damage this with magic."

Gajeel tch'd and bit his lip. _This bastard…If that armor really makes my magic useless, then I doubt I can even eat it. And I was gonna use, "That" to beat him down, too…Damn this guy and his black market magic. If they looked that shady metal over, I doubt it'd be legal, but…I'm not here to break rules! I'm here to break this guy!_

Alexei charged him and Gajeel replied, engaging in a fierce hand to hand combat that was looking more and more like the Raven Tail mage had the upper hand. Without his magic, even Gajeel's tough fists were doing more damage to him than to Alexei.

Black Steel howled as Alexei's armored claws sliced open his shoulder and smashed him into a building. Gajeel growled with anger and frustration. _Damn, this bastard...!_

**/**

The wind was knocked out of Natsu as Minerva slammed him to the ground with great speed and force. His injured hand was released from the wave matter as he struggled to his feet, panting from the burning pain in his wrist and the lack of air in his lungs. Natsu glared at the Sabertooth mage with unwavering strength.

Minerva smirked, "Oh? It seems you've still got fight left…Considering your condition, that's actually pretty impressive."

"You ain't seen anything yet." Natsu hissed, "I'm gonna wipe the floor with you. Just you wait."

"Ooh! I'm shaking in my boots." Minerva said sarcastically, pointing two fingers at him and generating an explosion at the Salamander's feet. While Natsu went flying back, she held her arms out and created more blasts all around her as she shouted, "My War God Magic allows me to manipulate anything within my field of vision! Any space around me can be altered as I see fit!"

Natsu skidded to a stop and grinned unexpectedly, "Well, that's nice to know. You just saved me the trouble of figuring out your powers. Now all I gotta do is use that against you."

Minerva sneered, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy, little boy. I'm going to use this magic to finish you off. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Heh." he snorted, but winced inwardly. _This really isn't gonna be easy…I've got some magic power left, but I can't just use it at random. I'll have to save as much as I can and hit her with one powerful attack._

**/**

"Haaah!" Alexei cried, elbowing Gajeel in the stomach to make him double over before ramming his armored fist into Black Steel's nose. As Gajeel recoiled from pain, Alexei grabbed him by the throat and threw him away into one side of a building and out the other.

Gajeel wiped the smarting tears from his eyes, hissing from the stinging pain in his nose. Cracked? Almost certainly. Broken? Maybe not. He glared as Alexei walked through the destroyed building towards him, "Is that all you've got?"

Alexei snorted, "Do not mock me, little dragon. Your taunts will not provoke me. I seek only to destroy you as utterly and thoroughly as I can. That is all."

Black Steel stood up and got into another fighting stance, waving his hand in challenge, "Come on, then. Gimme all you got..."

**/**

Levy gulped, "Gajeel…"

Cana bit her lip, "This is tough…Natsu and Gajeel both look like they're totally wiped out…"

"It doesn't help that Alexei's fresh and has hardly taken any damage." Freed said darkly, "And even though Minerva has taken damage, her injuries aren't as extensive as Natsu's. This looks bad…"

Makarov did not look away from the screen, too focused on watching the Dragon Slayers fight, but he murmured calmly, "We can only wait and believe that they will pull through. They are both strong."

**/**

Natsu growled as Minerva pushed him back into a stone pillar with enough force to crack it. He fell to one knee, desperately trying to catch his breath before the next attack.

Minerva smiled sadistically, "My, my, you _are _tough. Such a strong spirit…I will thoroughly enjoy breaking it with the best of my abilities…"

"Keep dreaming, lady." Natsu hissed painfully, "I'll make you eat those words…"

Minerva smirked, "Oh, come now, don't you understand? Fairy Tail's time is long over. You cannot surpass Sabertooth. Even Raven Tail, the dark seed of your guild is bound for failure. But before that, I will personally shatter that indomitable will in your soul."

"Shut up." Natsu snarled, clenching his fists with anger, "I'll knock you out…And that masked bastard'll get wiped out by Gajeel. You're first, so get ready. I'm getting Lisanna and Milianna back."

The Sabertooth mage's smile was twisted, "Oh…Well, I suppose I could just let them go…"

Natsu was taken aback, but something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed, "What?"

Minerva held a hand out and Milianna appeared out of thin air, then hit the ground hard. The Salamander was surprised, but Kagura wasted no time crawling over to her friend. The Swordswoman cradled Milianna's weakened form as Minerva chuckled, "The kitten is already incapacitated."

**2nd-1st. Sabertooth: 62+1=63**

Suddenly, Kagura gasped. Natsu glanced over at her, "What is it?"

Kagura was speechless, the expression on her face one of shock and rage. With trembling fingers, she removed Milianna's cloak and exposed the woman's back. Natsu froze. Milianna's skin was cut badly in several places, causing her to bleed profusely.

Minerva's grin was depraved with a sickening joy, "You have no idea how bored I was waiting for you two to finish. I had to kill time somehow." She disappeared into thin air, then reappeared on the rooftop of a tower behind her. Minerva smiled down at them cruelly, "Her screams were music to my ears…Which is more than I can say for your girl, Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu stiffened and whipped his head up to stare at her. His voice was low and menacing, "What did you just say..?"

Sneering with fiendish delight, Minerva held her hand over the edge of the rooftop and made Lisanna reappear. Natsu forgot how to breathe when he saw that the wounds on Lisanna's back were even more severe than Milianna's injuries. And she was too still, too limp in Minerva's grasp for him to take.

**1st. Sabertooth: 63+1=64**

Minerva made a mocking pout, "This one refused to scream." A devilish smile then, "So I punished her more for being silent."

Natsu's fury was _volcanic._

_Annihilate her._

He froze, then whipped his head around with a hiss, "Who is it?!"

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "What, have you lost your senses? You and I are the only ones speaking here."

_That woman before you…do not relax while the enemy still has something precious to you in her grasp…_

"Who the hell are you?! Where are you?!" Natsu growled, staring around wildly for the source of the dark voice.

Minerva appeared confused, "What has gotten into you, little boy? I'm up here…"

**/**

"Something appears to be wrong with Natsu!" Chapati exclaimed, "Has Minerva already ended his battle?!"

Yajima eyed the Salamander with a analyzing look. _No…Something is very wrong..._

**/**

Happy was crying from seeing Lisanna so terribly injured, but Natsu was starting to make him feel very, very uneasy, "What's happening to him?"

"He's acting weird all of a sudden…" Levy whispered, staring at the Salamander on the lacrima vision.

**/**

_After what she has done, are you going to let her live? You must kill her for this atrocity…_

Natsu remained tense and snarled, "Where are-"

_Idiot…I'm down here…in your shadow..._

Natsu stared down at the ground, freezing when he saw an eye and a fanged grin appear in the shadow of his head.

The shadow hissed. _I shall release your true power…Now annihilate Minerva…_

Natsu suddenly felt a burning pain all over his body and fell to his knees, clutching at his head, "Ugh..ugh…"

Minerva frowned, "What? Are you so angry that you can't even speak?"

_Devastate her... _The shadow urged.

The Sabertooth mage decided to dismiss the Salamander's odd behavior and smirked, "Well…No matter. Fall into nothingness, Fairy Tail."

Minerva dropped Lisanna from the rooftop, a fall straight down forty feet.

_I will release your true power! Now KILL MINERVA!_

**_"RRRRAAAAHHHH!"_**Natsu roared as his body became enveloped in a furious blaze, then he shot forward and caught Lisanna in midair before she could hit the ground.

To Minerva's shock, rather than fall back to earth, Natsu hit the side of the building she stood on, then rocketed straight up and slammed into her jaw with a devastating kick. She choked and fell off the building from the force, but recovered and landed safely on two feet.

Natsu landed a few meters away with Lisanna still in his grasp as the Sabertooth mage watched the flames fade away.

Her eyes got huge, spluttering in shock, "Wh-what?!"

**/**

"What just happened?!" Chapati shouted, "Natsu's demeanor just became incredibly aggressive! Did he...!"

The stadium went dead silent as Chapati trailed off, becoming absolutely stunned by what they saw on the lacrima vision.

**/**

Fairy Tail stared, eyes wide and mouths open at what they saw.

Happy was too shocked to say anything, but Frosch's voice quivered, "Wh-who is that…?!"

**/**

Lisanna regained consciousness, flinching from the pain in her back. She felt a strong arm around her waist holding her up and recognized the heat as Natsu's magic, but something was…off. She glanced up at him, then her breath caught in her throat. Lisanna's vision wavered for a moment, but when she could focus, her eyes flashed wide open. Her voice trembled weakly, "N-Natsu..?"

The figure holding her up was Natsu, but a much darker, more draconic version. Curved claws like an eagle's had grown from his fingers and toes. The already sharp fangs had become saber-like, so long now that they dug into his lower lip. Crimson scales covered his body, leaving only his upper chest and face with human skin. His vest was completely gone, leaving him clad only in his ragged white pants. His scarf was lying on the ground beside them.

The scariest part was definitely the _horns. _Jet-black, curved, and forward facing, two gleaming horns had sprouted on either side of his head. There was also a thick, red tail with black spikes along the top that had erupted from his lower back. The draconic appendage flicked slowly from side to side, like a stalking jungle cat's. All that remained of Natsu was the spiky pink hair, which seemed longer and wilder.

_"Grrr…"_ The deep growl made Lisanna flinch, then the figure's slitted black eyes glanced down at her for a moment. He seemed to appraise her, then set the scared girl down gently before looking back at Minerva. The rage in his eyes was primeval in nature, not human.

Lisanna had never been more afraid in her life. _No way..is..is he becoming a dragon..?_

Minerva's eyes were wide as she stared at him, "That's impossible. You can't possibly have enough magic power left to use Dragon Force. And to such an extent…What have you done? Answer me, Natsu Dragneel."

The Salamander answered with a snicker,_ "Heheheh…Your true power is free, Natsu…"_

Lisanna froze, "What?" After processing those words, she came to a terrifying realization. This person was _not _Natsu. She gulped and asked shakily, "Wh-who are you?"

Natsu stood up to his full height with flames raging all over his draconic form. He grinned fiendishly at Minerva, _"I am Shadow…One that controls fate…"_

Minerva felt a chill run down her spine as she looked into the dark eyes, "I don't know what's just happened, but…It's already over for you. Ih Ragdo!"

The area around Natsu exploded violently, but as the smoke cleared, it revealed the Salamander still grinning and totally unharmed.

Minerva stared in disbelief, "What in the- Gah!"

She was cut off as Natsu rushed her and slashed at her with the claws on his hands, slicing the woman's belly open, then cauterizing the wound immediately with flames.

Minerva shrieked from the pain, skidding away to a stop as she did her best to keep focused on the Salamander.

Natsu grinned, _"You're really nothing to sneeze at…"_

"Bastard…" Minerva hissed.

_"Sabertooth is weak after all…"_ the Salamander sneered. _"They don't even stand a chance against a dragon."_

**/**

Makarov's eyes narrowed, "That is…"

"Yes…" Mavis murmured, "He's being possessed…" She swallowed hard. _Quite the foul magic, but powerful, nonetheless…And the likes of which I've never seen before!_

**/**

Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy all froze on the outskirts of the city as a wave of dark magic overran their senses.

Ultear gasped, "This power is…!"

"No doubt about it!" Meredy whispered.

Ultear's gaze whipped towards the city, "It's coming from Crocas!"

"Remain calm…" Jellal murmured with narrowed eyes, "It is possible that Future Lucy is merely in a skirmish…With Sting and the others alongside her, she's in able hands…"

But Jellal's senses told him something different. _This magic…It's far more evil than Future Lucy's was…Even if she has that dark stain just because she used the Eclipse…It's as though…This power was evil long before it touched Zeref's magic…_

**/**

Gajeel was sprawled out on the ground after taking another round of Alexei's attacks. He coughed up red and glared up at the dark mage, who looked down on him with contempt, "Pathetic. Disappear, Iron Dragon. Your usefulness has run its course."

"I ain't going down that easy, asshole…" Gajeel growled, struggling to his feet. He sniffed the air and suddenly stiffened. _What in the hell…?_

As Alexei brought his fist up to finish it, Gajeel heard a loud roar getting closer…and closer…and closer…

He felt the air around him heat up to scorching temperatures and bristled. _Shit, shit, shit! Not good!_

Gajeel leaped away just in time as something exploded out of the building beside him and crashed into Alexei. After a moment of staring, Black Steel's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide.

Natsu, more dragon than human now, had just crushed MInerva into Alexei's armored body with a grip on her throat. The woman was torched and wounded all over, but after being slammed into the hard Raven King's Armor, she passed out and was thrown to the ground, utterly defeated.

If that wasn't shocking enough, the sudden attack had knocked the wind out of Alexei, who now sprawled out on the ground with a dent in his armor. The damage made it difficult to breathe correctly, leaving him totally helpless on the street.

Natsu grinned fiendishly, _"Sabertooth and Raven Tail…Pathetic. As if either of these two could make a stand against a dragon's power…"_

**/**

**3rd-1st. Fairy Tail B: 59+5=64**

**/**

"B-brutal!" Chapati managed, "Natsu just…after crushing Minerva with such a cruel force, could he really finish this now and defeat Alexei and Gajeel as well?"

**/**

While the crowd muttered anxiously, Fairy Tail was still in shock.

Romeo half opened one eye, as they'd been squeezed shut moments earlier, "Is he done with Minerva?"

"Yeah…But..whoa…" Freed shook his head, "That was possibly some of the most violent fighting I've seen…He really didn't hold back at all…"

Levy gulped, "Is Gajeel gonna be okay?"

**/**

Alexei struggled to get up, but before he could, Gajeel walked up and stomped his head into the ground with enough force to make a crater. The dark mage grunted with pain and spat, "Y-you…bastard…!"

"You're in the way, old fart." Gajeel snarled, "I'm not losing to the Salamander. So just pipe down and take a nap."

Effectively immobilized and now losing consciousness, Alexei collapsed under Gajeel's weight and gave up, still having trouble breathing from the huge dent in his back armor.

**3rd-1st. Fairy Tail A: 59+5=64**

Gajeel stepped off of Alexei and stared at the Salamander warily, "Oi, you playing with a full deck, there?" As he appraised his fellow Dragon Slayer, Black Steel's eyes got wider. _It's like the Dragon Force we could use in Edolas, but…! This isn't the same…Salamander..what's happened to you?!_

Natsu grinned darkly, _"Gajeel…Been a while…"_

Gajeel stiffened and suddenly realized what was different. His eyes went from shock to a terrible hatred. Black Steel bared his fangs and spat, "_You…_What the _hell _are you doing here?!"

_"Just…Killing you…" _

The Salamander lunged and clotheslined Gajeel with his wing, sending the Iron Dragon flying into a building. Before Black Steel could get up, Natsu came back and kicked him in the face, plowing his prey through a building.

Gajeel rolled to his feet and snarled, "I don't care how the hell you got here, or how you made Salamander like that…But get ready for a war, you son of a bitch!"

He lunged forward and stabbed at Natsu with his arm as it turned into a blade, "Iron Dragon's Sword!"

Still grinning, Natsu grabbed the blade with his scaled hands and leaped over it with a spin, crashing his tail into Gajeel with crushing power, _"Heh!"_

Gajeel leaped off the ground with the force of the blow and turned his arm into an iron rod, "Iron Dragon's Club!"

The rod extended, but Natsu stopped it with one hand while his wings went ablaze, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Black Steel roared in pain as the flaming whirlwind sent him flying into another building and destroyed it. He staggered to his feet as Natsu walked over with his wings still burning. The dark being sneered, _"I knew it…You're inferior to Natsu Dragneel after all…"_

"Kiss my ass, you bastard…" Gajeel hissed as he faced the draconic figure.

_"You've already taken too much damage from battling Alexei…" _The Salamander snickered, then rushed Gajeel and grabbed him by the throat. His grip was like a vice, forcing the air out of Gajeel's lungs as he was crushed by the dragon claws.

_"The infamous Gajeel, reduced to putty in my hands…" _sneered the dark voice.

**/**

"Natsu, _stop it!" _Levy shrieked, "You're going to kill him!"

Happy was frozen, "Natsu…What's wrong…?"

**/**

Lisanna struggled to her feet and started to walk down the path of destruction, where Natsu had annihilated Minerva. She knew he was close, but it seemed like the pain in her back was going to turn that short distance into an eternity.

She leaned against a building to catch her breath, then slowly walked closer to the sound of battle. Lisanna gasped and whispered to herself, "I..have to go…I..have to..bring Natsu..back…"

**/**

When the dark presence was finally satisfied with crushing Gajeel's life out, he dropped the half-dead man onto the street. As Gajeel hit the ground, a shadow spread out underneath him and started to swallow him up. Natsu grinned, _"Shadow…Will consume you…Until you have withered away into nothing…Embrace..this darkness..." _

Gajeel suddenly laughed, "Well damn…If the others can pull it off…I can do better…"

Natsu's eyes narrowed at that, then widened as Gajeel started to _absorb _the shadows around him. The Salamander hissed, _"Don't tell me you…"_

Black Steel opened his mouth and started to swallow the black energy, feeling his body reverberate with power. Once the dark had been completely absorbed, he sat up and started getting to his feet.

The dark figure was stunned, _"It can't be…"_

**/**

Levy wasn't sure if she was amazed or horrified, "He..ate…"

"Shadows?!" Droy choked.

Mavis smiled, "Time for a counterattack…"

**/**

Gajeel got on his hands and knees as he started to rise, "I don't know why you took over the Salamander's body…But get out…Now…"

The dark figure hissed, _"You want me to leave Natsu's body?"_

"That's right…I know who you are…" Gajeel stood up with black energy swirling around him and growled, "I'd recognize that stench anywhere…"

Natsu's draconic form took a step back, becoming uneasy at the Iron Dragon's words.

"Oh, yeah…You remember me…" Gajeel hissed, "No one ever looked up to me…I was simply…_feared…"_

The Shadow felt the slightest hesitation at Gajeel's appearance. _This guy is…_

_"Let me jog your memory…As to the terror I can bring…" _Gajeel grinned darkly with huge fangs, licking his lips while shadows enveloped his body and gave him a monstrous appearance, _"Iron Shadow Dragon Mode…"_

Natsu stared at him uneasily, _"A fusion…Of two types?"_

**/**

Vijeeter gasped, "H-he really ate the shadows!"

"He looks like a monstrosity!" Warren shrieked.

"Well…They both do, actually…" Max managed.

Levy clasped her hands together, "Gajeel…"

Mavis smiled confidently, "He's…"

**/**

Natsu hissed as Gajeel lunged at him, _"He's an Iron Shadow Dragon?!"_

The Salamander spun on his heels and lashed out with his tail, but Gajeel just turned into a shadow and reappeared in front of him to land a devastating punch to his enemy's face.

Natsu spat and slashed at him with his claws, but Gajeel blocked with his iron scales, then kicked the Salamander's head straight down. The draconic figure snarled, "Gah..You…!"

Gajeel dove back down into the shadows to attack from below, but Natsu suddenly flew up into the air, trying to get above the buildings. He was almost there when an iron and shadow rod rocketed out from the side and crashed him back down to lower elevation.

The red scales started to crack under the power of the attacks. Natsu hissed in pain. _My scales are breaking?!_

"GEE-HEE!" Gajeel cackled and leaped up out of the shadows into the sky above the draconic Natsu, then landed on his back and grabbed him by the horns. "Gotcha, Salamander!" He brought a fist up, then punched Natsu in the back as hard as he could.

Natsu screeched in pain, arching in midair,_ "GET OFF ME!"_

"So NOT gonna happen!" Gajeel snarled, hanging on for dear life as Natsu started flying through the city at incredible speeds, trying to shake off the Iron Dragon by crashing them into buildings.

**/**

Jet gritted his teeth, "Is that what it looks like when a Dragon Slayer fights a dragon?!"

"I guess…" Evergreen muttered.

Mavis suddenly gasped, "That's it! That's why Gajeel's attacks are working!"

Levy turned to stare at her, "What?"

The ghost's eyes were wide, "At this moment, Natsu's body is more like a dragon's than ever before…So it stands to reason that Dragon Slaying magic has an increased effect on him!"

Freed gulped, "If that's true, then…"

"Gajeel's still got a chance to get that freak out of Natsu's body!" Happy gasped.

**/**

Gajeel punched Natsu in the back of the head and made him roar in pain again, staggering in midair from the force. _This bastard…! He's actually damaging the dragon scales?!_

"This is gonna hurt! A lot!" Gajeel cackled, then wrenched Natsu's head to the side. The Salamander bellowed in pain and crashed into a building as he lost control of his aerial stability.

**/**

As her guild shouted at Gajeel to finish it, Mavis closed her eyes with a smile, _"March forth, young ones…Unfettered like wind gusting through a field…"_

**/**

Gajeel didn't waste a second and slammed his fist into Natsu's face, destroying the building with the sheer force of the blow. As the Salamander tumbled through the air, trying to recover, Gajeel darted into the shadows, then leaped out and grabbed Natsu by the face.

The dark figure was stunned by the powerful onslaught. _This Gajeel…Is foreign to me…!_

**/**

Mavis looked up at the sky, still murmuring softly, _"Your boiling blood…sweat…and tears…are beautiful like the halo of the sun…"_

**/**

"YOU PISS ME OFF!" Gajeel roared, throwing the draconic Natsu away into another building. He sucked in a deep breath and growled, _"Iron Shadow Dragon's…"_

**/**

_"Be not afraid…" _Mavis whispered gently, _"Young ones…"_

**/**

**"ROOAAARRRRRR!"**

The huge mass of breath crashed into the Salamander with devastating force, shattering the dragon scales, crushing his horns, and shredding his wings. Natsu roared in pain, then fell silent as the massive attack dissipated and finally allowed him to crash to the ground in defeat.

**1st. Fairy Tail A: 64+1=65**

Gajeel panted for breath as the shadows around him faded, and his iron scales went away. But he remained standing, still glaring at Natsu's immobile form in case the Shadow took hold again.

But Shadow had apparently had enough. He coughed and whispered, _"So…in my hands…this is the extent of Natsu's power…?"_

The cracked scales, horns, wings, and tail on Natsu's body turned gray, then dissipated like ashes after a great blaze. His fangs went back to their normal size and his claws retracted. A shadow darted away and fled soon after, leaving the Salamander to groan in pain.

Gajeel snorted and sat down, "Yeah, that's right…Run off with your tail between your legs, you little shit…"

**/**

"The fight…comes to an end!" Chapati exclaimed, "The victor…Gajeel! Fairy Tail A Team…takes the crown! The winner of the Grand Magic Games is..."

**/**

Romeo stared at the screen uncomprehendingly for several moments. Then Macao pulled him into a tight hug while he cried beside the guild. It took a second for it to click, but then Romeo gasped and felt tears well up in his eyes, along with an unbreakable smile.

Happy and Frosch hugged each other, crying in joy.

The members who had endured the torment of seven years at the bottom sobbed hysterically, too overwhelmed for words.

**/**

**_"FAIRY TAIL!"_**

**/**

The screams of excitement in the colosseum made the air shake.

Fireworks in the shape of the Fairy Tail insignia were launched sky high above the Domus Flau, lighting up the darkening sky.

**/**

Gajeel staggered over to the fallen form of the Salamander and tried to shake him awake, "Oi…Wake up, you bastard…Fun's over…"

Natsu opened his eyes, then winced and groaned, "Ugh…Did..did I get my ass kicked?"

"Damn right." Black Steel growled, "But it wasn't you fighting, so…It doesn't count. I'll kick your ass for real another time."

The Salamander snorted and struggled to sit up, "L-Lisanna…She was hurt…"

"Natsu!"

They both glanced at the voice as Lisanna staggered over and fell to her knees beside them. She took a moment to catch her breath, then hugged Natsu tightly, "Are you okay?"

"Dunno…can't..breathe…" he gasped out.

Lisanna let him go with a sniff, "I-I'm sorry…"

Natsu offered a weak grin, "It's okay…but…what the hell just happened? Where am I?"

Gajeel stared at him. _He doesn't remember a thing…_

Lisanna also seemed to realize this and cradled Natsu's head, "It doesn't matter…I'm just glad you're back to normal…"

"I'm happy that this damn thing's over." Gajeel grunted, then grinned, "We won, after all. Nice going, Salamander."

Natsu just nodded, then closed his eyes and muttered weakly, "Maybe, but…what about…the others at the castle..did you see the..the signal flare?"

Lisanna shook her head, "No…I haven't."

While Lisanna worried over Natsu's injuries, Gajeel staggered to his feet and walked down the destroyed street until he could see Mercurius. He stared at the castle with an uneasy look. _Are you doing alright? Rogue…Yukino…_

**/**

Hisui and Darton walked through the castle to the bottom floor.

Darton grunted, "The top mages being felled in a single blow…and Natsu partially turning into a dragon…yet falling at Gajeel's hands..."

"No one could've predicted that. No on in their right mind." Hisui muttered, "But that person did predict it. Which means the future they warned me of will become a reality…It's time we unveiled our strongest weapon to save humanity. The Eclipse 2 Cannon will be our last bastion against the dragons!"


	57. Protect Our Future

**Okay, what the heck. I'm not having much luck writing Reborn Oracion Seis at the moment and these chapters are just collecting dust while I attempt to pull that arc off. Anyways, some things won't make sense until I post more chapters of Reborn Oracion Seis, but for now, just take it in stride. It'll make more sense once I get my act together.**

**I'm sorry this took so long, but it's here! Another chapter will be up tomorrow, so watch out for that, and thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Aside from me asking again for reviews (Which I love. You guys/girls give me great feedback!) you may want a tissue or two if you get teary easy. I like to think the end is sad, but maybe just for the more sensitive of readers. Anyway, enjoy!**

_Chapter 57: Protect Our Future_

"Follow me!"

The Infiltration Team followed Future Lucy through the underground passages, trying to find their way to Jellal. Sting had been looking over the area when they had started going through, and was a little skeptical, "Hey, how do you know which way to go?"

Future Lucy glanced back at him, "I studied the layout to avoid capture by the Royal Guard."

Lily grunted, "That makes sense. But to think she memorized the whole basement…impressive."

_Maybe, _Sting thought. He stared at Future Lucy's back with narrowed eyes. _But something about her is…different._

"Sting!" He glanced to the side as Lucy called him and gave a stern look, "We need to hurry and tell the others what happened. We can't waste time staring off into space."

"It's the fugitives!"

The group stopped dead as Imperial Guard soldiers stormed the passageways before and behind them. Future Lucy stared in disbelief, "Soldiers?!"

Yukino gasped, "No way…"

"They shouldn't be on patrol down here…" Future Lucy swallowed, "Was the plan really wrong?"

Sting put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. We've got our magic. This'll be a walk in the park."

"I've almost finished healing Rogue, too!" Wendy informed them.

The Shadow Dragon bared his fangs, "Numbers don't matter. In fact, against three Dragon Slayers, it will prove to be less effective."

"Your attacks do have impressive wide-range effects." Lily remarked as his body swelled to his battle form, "I'll assist as well. Lector, Charle, stay back." The smaller exceeds didn't argue, just moved behind Lily for protection.

Leo smiled, "I'll protect Lucy and Future Lucy, of course. Yukino as well will be guarded by me."

"This isn't the time to be joking, Leo!" Lucy exclaimed.

Yukino nodded, "We have to hurry and warn the others about the incoming dragon horde…"

Sting and Rogue shot forward, swinging fists of light and shadow at the soldiers which sent them flying.

The White Dragon growled, "Get out of our way..."

The Shadow Dragon hissed, "…Or we'll make you!"

In the chaos that followed, none of them seemed to notice that Arcadios had disappeared.

**/**

On the outskirts of Crocas, Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy stirred as they sensed the all-too familiar sensation of dark magic.

Ultear's eyes narrowed, "This feeling…"

"No doubt about it..this is Zeref's power!" Meredy exclaimed. "It's coming from the city?!"

Jellal glanced at her, "Remain calm. It would appear that Future Lucy is in a skirmish..but with Sting and the others at her side, she's in very reliable hands…"

While Ultear and Meredy seemed to relax, even if it was just a little, Jellal stared out over the city with a racing mind. _What is this ominous feeling I have..? I have failed to notice something important, I am certain of that…But what have I missed?"_

**/**

Future Lucy stood with her back to the wall of the corridor beside Lector and Charle, nervously watching the Fairy Tail mages run riot against the Imperial Guard.

Lily slashed with his Musica Sword, sending several of the soldiers flying while he covered Lucy's back. "Watch it, Lucy! Close combat isn't your strong point!"

"I'm fine!" Lucy shouted as she defeated an equal number of soldiers with her Flueve d'etoiles.

Yukino's gate key flashed gold, "Scorpio!"

The spirit appeared in a burst of light and fired off a blast of sand, "Sandbuster!" Imperial Guard troops went flying everywhere as a result of the explosion.

Wendy fired off a tornado, followed up by a powerful magic kick from Leo.

One of the more experienced soldiers sweated nervously, "They're just kids, but..we're merely fodder for them!"

"They cannot pass! Call the Anti-Mage division!" another commanded.

Rogue grabbed one of the soldiers with a fearsome roar, "Get lost!" He threw the man into the other troops, knocking several of them out with the impact.

Suddenly, a new group of people showed up with magic weapons. One of them fired off a blast at Future Lucy, but it was intercepted by Sting, though he took the attack to his head.

Lector bristled, "Sting!"

"Is that the Anti-Mage force?!" Charle asked.

Future Lucy stared with wide eyes, "A-are you okay?!"

Sting laughed, "Is that all?" The Imperial Guard watched with disbelief as the White Dragon emerged unscathed from the resulting explosion, grinning confidently, "If that's all the Anti-Mage division has got..then you guys are as good as done…"

He shot forward and kicked out at them with light, "White Dragon's Wave Fang!" The light fixed itself onto the clothing and armor of the soldiers, then exploded, knocking out even more of them.

"Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Rogue shouted, creating another mass of unconscious men.

Wendy took a deep breath, "Sky Dragon's Roar!" The resulting tornado of breath destroyed another portion of the soldiers, but more filled where the others had been defeated.

Sting tch'd as he and Leo met each other back to back, "This shit never ends!"

"I know." Leo said grimly.

Lucy gulped, "This wasn't a good idea, was it…"

Charle crossed her arms, "What happened to, 'It's okay, we've got our magic'…"

"Too late to regret it now." Lily chastised. "Just keep back..!" The huge black exceed sidestepped quickly as a wave of acid came down and melted away the ground by his feet. He growled angrily, "Hey…"

Somehow, the huge Garou Knight, although injured, struck out again, forcing Lily to dodge. He skidded to a stop and glared at him, "Great..you again…"

Kamika and Cosmos were right behind him. "The Garou Knights won't go down so easily…Rogue is half-dead anyway."

Uosuke came in as well, carried by several members of the Imperial Guard.

Rogue snarled, "You lot still have enough life left in you to come back for seconds, huh?"

"Take your own advice, Rogue." the leader of the Garou Knights strolled in as well, "I do not begrudge your motives. I've even stopped referring to you as Reyos. All I ask is that you do not begrudge our reasons. We will not allow fugitives to step foot outside of this castle."

Sting bared his fangs, "You're a pigheaded pain in my ass."

**/**

Both Fairy Tail A and B Teams remained in the center of the city, decidedly happy with how the tournament had gone. The other teams met up with them, congratulating the teams on their rise back to the top.

Milianna hugged Erza, "No surprise that Erza's guild won! We'll beat you next time, though!"

Erza smiled, "Thank you, Milianna. Take it easy though..your injuries…"

"Well, at least you two had a decent fight the other day." Ur commented to Gray and Lyon. "It reminded me of when you were just kids."

Gray smirked, "Watch it, Ur. You sound old."

"You guys really stuck it to us." Lyon admitted.

Jura shook hands with Laxus, "Congratulations. Though you and I must finish our battle sometime…"

Laxus grinned, "It'd be my pleasure, old man."

The Trimens and Ichiya also congratulated the victorious guild. "What a wonderful present for the Tenrou Team." "This is a welcome home gift, I suppose…" "They've earned it, I'd say." "Men!"

**/**

Zancrow watched from the sidelines as Natsu and Gajeel started bickering over who was stronger. He smiled to himself. _Fairy Tail really has come back like I hoped it would… _The Flame God turned around and started walking away. _Even though I lost, it feels like I've been reborn…Natsu..Sting...I, as well..I want to become a man who cares for his comrades…_ Zancrow held up an arm as a gesture, recognition of Fairy Tail's strength.

**/**

Natsu caught a scent and stopped arguing with Gajeel for a moment to stare towards a street which was a short distance away. He noticed Zancrow walking off, saw him raise an arm in farewell. The Salamander smiled after him. _See you around, Zancrow. We'll fight again soon, I hope._

"Oi!" Lyon smacked him upside the head for not paying attention. He gave him a disdainful look, "That expression you've got is pissing me off! If you've got enough energy to ignore my congratulations, then you must be completely fine after what happened!"

Lisanna walked up and took Natsu's hand, "Lyon! Don't be mean! That was really scary back then!"

When Natsu looked to the side uncomfortably, Lyon decided to let it go and sighed, "Well..I'm sorry and all, but…Can I assume Sting and Rogue really weren't sick this whole time? Why didn't they participate in the game?"

At that, most of the Fairy Tail members subconsciously glanced towards the castle or grew uneasy.

Chelia gasped, "Did something bad really happen to them?!"

**/**

The Infiltration Team had been fighting for almost an hour now and were growing tired, while the soldiers just kept pouring in and replacing the ones who were defeated.

Wendy gasped as vines wrapped around her arms, "What are these?!"

"My plants!" Cosmos giggled, "Aren't they cute?"

"Wendy!" Lucy and Yukino shouted.

Lily suddenly shrunk, "Oh, crap! My body!"

Kamika laughed crazily, "Hey, now! You're all going to be executed!"

"RAAAHHHH!" Sting roared furiously, "You guys are really starting to piss me off! Execute me?! I'll execute the whole freaking lot of you!" He sucked in a deep breath and bellowed, "White Dragon's Holy Breath!"

A massive burst of light filled the passage and blasted the Imperial Guard away from one side. The other soldiers stopped completely and stared in shock at the scale of destruction. They muttered worriedly amongst themselves. "Hey, hey, they've still got this much power left? That's insane…"

Yukino saw their chance when the soldiers faltered, "Rogue! Can you use Shadow Travel to get us out of here?!"

He nodded, "I think so, but I can't take everyone at once!"

"Take Lucy, Yukino, and Lily!" Sting shouted. "These guys are after the Celestial Wizards the most! They're the main target! Leave things here to me and Wendy!"

Leo punched another soldier away as he yelled, "I'll go back through the gate when they move and come back again to guard them!"

Rogue took a deep breath as he focused his remaining magic power, "I got it…"

The girls and Lily went over to him, but Lucy glanced over her shoulder, "Sting! Be careful! You'd better come back to me!"

Sting grinned, "I will. Don't worry."

Rogue turned them into shadows and they vanished. Leo faded in a burst of light.

"Right…" The White Dragon turned to free Wendy, but to his surprise, he realized that Future Lucy had stayed behind and already freed the Sky Sorceress. Sting frowned, "I thought I told you to go with Rogue."

Future Lucy fixed him with a strange look, "You didn't. You only believed that you did."

Sting got an uncomfortable vibe from her words, "What does that mean?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but then the soldiers started to freak out.

Sting's eyes went wide as a huge shadow suddenly expanded over the floor and started to swallow the soldiers, making them disappear.

Charle gasped, "Is that Rogue?!"

"No…It's not him…" Sting said slowly.

Lector glanced at him, "How can you be sure?"

At that moment, Rogue reappeared behind them, "They're somewhere safe. Let's..!" He blinked in surprise at the Garou Knights and Imperial Forces struggling in the swirling shadows.

The White Dragon muttered uneasily, "I've met this person before…but something is..different."

**/**

"…! How could I overlook something like that?!" Jellal gasped. All the facts he'd been adding up suddenly came together and turned into a startling picture of the reality.

Meredy stared at him, "Jellal? Did you figure something out?"

"Yes." he said quickly, "Future Lucy told me she arrived on the 4th of July, but in reality, it was midnight on the 3rd. Every year we've been sensing a mysterious magic, right? But she only arrived recently…What we've been sensing is the Eclipse Gate, without a doubt." Jellal paused, eyes narrowed. "This year alone, the magic came from a human. Future Lucy traveled back in time using magic from Zeref's book, otherwise known as the Eclipse. Some of the residual magic must have lingered on her body."

Jellal glanced at Ultear and Meredy, "If we are to assume that everything Future Lucy said is true, then she really arrived on the eve of the fourth." He let them process this, then spoke a little more carefully, "Which would mean that the person I saw on the day of the third was…"

**/**

Hisui nodded as the Eclipse gate finished rising to the front of Mercurius, "Good. With everyone here aware of the Eclipse 2 Plan and word spreading fast to those who are not, the plan is coming into play."

"Princess!"

She turned as a man shouted her name, but was ecstatic to see Arcadios, "You're safe! Are you unharmed?"

He nodded, "My injuries are but minor ones. Do not think anything of it, Princess. You as well, Minister Darton." Arcadios spoke to the latter as he noted the older man's guilty expression.

Darton nodded at Arcadios's dismissal, not keen to focus on past wrongs, "I see you've equipped the White Lily Armor…How fitting for this situation."

"The words from the person who came back in time are coming to fruition. From this point on, Eclipse 2 is moving to its second phase." Hisui told the White Knight.

Arcadios stared down at her, "So..we will abort the first phase and not annihilate Lord Zeref?"

The princess shook her head, "No. The dragons take priority. We can worry over that later."

The White Knight narrowed his eyes, then reached down and drew his sword, much to the alarm of the people around him. Darton's eyes bulged, "You would dare to-"

But Arcadios placed the blade in Hisui's hands and brought it up to his throat, "A Knight should never doubt the word of his monarch. When your words bear fruit…I will relinquish my life. For I have doubted you and brought great shame upon your name."

Hisui stared at him in disbelief, "You can't be serious…what is the meaning of this..?"

"Princess…please be honest with me." Arcadios pleaded. "I have met the person from the future you spoke of. She is none the wiser about Eclipse 2. She shed tears as she lamented the impending doom, as she was unable to come up with a solution."

"That's..not possible." Hisui protested. "That person made it crystal clear what had to be done…"

Arcadios gritted his teeth, "Are you really suggesting that she was lying?! I can't think of anything that she'd gain by deceiving her comrades!"

Then Hisui paled, "Did you just say…she..?"

The White Knight paused, "Yes…"

Hisui's eyes grew frightened, "Arcadios...The person who travelled back in time and told me about the dragons…was a man…"

And now Arcadios's eyes went wide in shock.

**/**

Jellal stood up abruptly, "The person I saw on the day of the third was not Lucy! There's a second person here!"

**/**

As the shadows finished swallowing the Imperial Guard, a figure became visible within the hazy darkness.

Lector bristled, "Someone is there!"

"Who is it?" Charle asked. "If it wasn't Rogue, who used the shadows to defeat the soldiers?"

"This stench…"

Sting and Wendy glanced back at Rogue, who was bristling and snarling with disbelieving anger, "It's _him_…No doubt about it…"

The White Dragon turned back and growled, "Who are you?"

**/**

Crime Sorciere was now racing towards the city. Ultear shouted after her leader, "There's another person?! What are you talking about?!"

"There's another person giving off a similar type of magic to the one I sensed on Future Lucy. A person who has just used the Eclipse to travel through time." The look on Jellal's face was intense, "But she came to save us, so what are the motives of the second individual?! Moreover…"

Meredy frowned, "What is it?"

Jellal bit his lip, "Future Lucy did in fact lie to me…I just couldn't figure out until now what was different about her."

**/**

A man stepped forth out of the chaos, his hair split down the middle to divide black and white. A scar ran across the bridge of his nose, revealing that his right eye was gone. He bore a startling resemblance to the Shadow Dragon among the Fairy Tail mages.

"The shadows are fanning out…To the past? Or the future? Or maybe…To the hearts of all the people…" the dark figure smirked. "Doesn't this bring back fond memories...Rogue?"

_"You…" _Rogue hissed.

The man's smile was dark, "I came from the future. I am Reyos."

Wendy gulped, "R-Reyos..?"

"There's another person from the future besides Lucy?" Lector asked hesitantly.

Future Lucy gave the newcomer a hard stare, "This guy is…"

"Why the hell are you here?!" Rogue snarled.

Reyos grinned, "To open the gates, of course."

"Eclipse?" Sting muttered.

He nodded, "Correct. Eclipse has two uses: to travel through time, or…as a weapon..the Eclipse Cannon. It's power is our only defense against ten thousand dragons."

Charle gasped, "Wait, you're on our side?"

"No!" Rogue hissed furiously, "Not him. He's not that kind of person!"

Reyos sneered at him, "Time has a way of changing people, Rogue…Hear me out. I come from a future seven years from now. In that time, dragons have taken over the world. Not even 10% of the human population is left alive. We're on the brink of extinction..no, in fact, it's inevitable that we'll die out. Unless the dragons are stopped here."

The group looked stunned, but Future Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, "People are good at surviving. Take it from me, I know that we can get through tough times…I lost my right arm in the future, but I'm still alive. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"An arm means little when compared to the fate of mankind." Reyos pointed out. "If we can stop the dragons here, at least mankind's chances of survival will be bolstered. Although, there is no guarantee everything will go as planned."

Sting frowned, "But if we open the gates, won't it all be okay?"

"If it were that simple…" Reyos sighed, "You see, seven years ago…In other words, right now, someone stopped the gates from being opened. Because of that, the Eclipse Cannon was not fired at the dragon horde. That person alone managed to destroy the world. That is why I came here. To kill that person."

Lector tilted his head, "Hold on, can't we just talk to them? We don't have to really kill someone, do we? Wouldn't they understand?"

Reyos shook his head, "At such an important moment in time, words alone are not enough to control it. In fact, it's already decided that they will close the gates."

"Decided?" Wendy asked.

The man smirked, "The person who guarded that woman…had it not been for him, she would have been killed by the dragons immediately…"

Future Lucy gasped, "No..!"

"The person who closed the gates to Eclipse was Lucy Heartfilia." Reyos declared. While the group became stunned from disbelief, he hurled a blade of darkness forth, "And the one who saved her was you!"

_"Sting Eucliffe!"_

The dark blade came racing towards him, but Sting's eyes narrowed. _I can dodge this-?! _He gasped as the ground at his feet turned into a shadow and unbalanced him just enough so he couldn't avoid the incoming attack. _Shit!_

A split second before the weapon would have pierced him, Future Lucy threw herself out, taking the blade in her stomach. She choked on blood and crashed to the ground, leaving more shock in her wake.

The Fairy Tail team was horrified.

Sting dropped to the fallen girl's side, "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

Wendy and Lector shot over to them, "Lucy!"

Reyos's eye widened, "That's Lucy..! No..you're..!"

Sting tugged the blade free from her stomach, eliciting a pained cry from the injured girl. Lector hovered by her side, "Lucy! Hang in there!"

"I'll heal her right away!" Wendy gasped, pouring her magic into the wound.

"What did you save me for?!" Sting yelled.

The girl smiled, "Because…you're my past..either way..I would've ceased to exist…"

Rogue stared at her, "What?"

"You fool…"

The Shadow Dragon glanced over at Reyos, whose smirk had returned. The man shook his head while he chuckled, "Have you yet to realize? That woman is not Lucy Heartfilia…Isn't that right, Layla?"

Charle gasped, "Layla..?! Lucy's mother?!"

Reyos grinned, "Not quite…How long has it been since you've seen me, Layla? Twelve, thirteen years? It seems you're in your late teens now. You've matured since I last saw you in the future…How wonderful for me to see a familiar face become so beautiful. Too bad that you're dying here."

"I can't say that I'm happy to see you." she gasped, giving him a fierce glare despite her wound, "What are you lying for anyways?! Lucy never..closed the gates..!" She choked on another wave of pain.

Blood was pooling around the injured girl, making Wendy become frantic, "It's not enough…I don't have enough power to heal it! Don't die, please!"

She smiled, "It's okay...I'm not even a part of this time…no, I'm not even Lucy to begin with…so don't..be sad…"

Lector shook his head, "It doesn't matter where you're from! You helped us! Lucy, Layla…Whoever you are, we're comrades! Of course we'll be sad!"

The wounded girl hugged him, then looked up at Sting, "Hey…Can I see your guild mark?"

Sting nodded and showed her his right shoulder, revealing the white Fairy Tail tattoo. She lay her hand on it with a smile, "So that's what it looks like…"

He frowned, staring into her blue eyes with confusion.

…Blue...?

Suddenly, it all made sense and knocked the breath out of him with the force of reality. Sting felt his heart freeze, "Y..you..can't be…"

The girl smiled sadly, "I'm sorry I lied to you..When I saw you..I couldn't think of what to say…I never met you in the future..you had died a few months before I…" Layla swallowed hard, "Mom..she always told me about you…But she died a year before..I came here…"

Sting didn't even register the river of tears pouring down his face, "You..no way…Don't die..please…I'm begging you..don't die!"

Layla reached up weakly to touch his face, "I'm just happy..I finally met you…Even though I…I wish..I could be with you..and mom…together.." She closed her eyes, "..Please..protect the future…"

Her breath caught and she shuddered, then her head fell sideways. Limp.

Sting covered his eyes with a hand, taking a breath so hard it might have been a sob.

Reyos's eyes narrowed, "She said Lucy didn't close the gates…"

"Screw the gates!" Wendy shrieked. "Lucy would never do that!"

The man appeared unaffected by his atrocity, "For now. But she will do it…"

Wendy screeched at him, "She wouldn't! She didn't! Layla said so!"

Reyos gritted his teeth, "It's already decided that she'll close the gates. As long as she is still breathing…"

"You're a monster!" Wendy screamed.

The man lost patience and snapped, "There's no truth in your words! Everything is decided by destiny!" He rushed forward with the intent of silencing Wendy, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he sensed a surge of incredible fury being directed at him.

The White Dragon crashed into him so hard and fast that Reyos hardly had time to recover and avoid getting sent flying.

Sting roared at the top of his lungs, "I'll change that destiny! I won't let anyone hurt our future!" An inferno of white fire blazed furiously, eating at the space around him with menace.

Reyos came to a stop with narrowed eyes.

_Protect the future…_

Lector stared at him, crying, "Sting…"

_Father…_

Hot tears pouring down a face contorted in murderous rage and immeasurable anguish, Sting shot Reyos a glare of pure hatred.

_"I promise!"_


	58. Sting vs Reyos

**As I promised, here is the next chapter. I'm not sure I'll post another for a little bit, but at the most, I'll wait no more than two weeks. Anyways, that's really all I have to say for now! Please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 58: Sting vs Reyos_

"Rogue! Go protect Lucy!" Sting roared as Reyos skidded to a stop from the White Dragon's blistering attack.

Wendy stared at him, "What about you- kya!?" She squealed as Charle grabbed her and flew her closer to the Shadow Dragon.

"He'll be fine!" Charle exclaimed, "The way he is now, we'll just be a hindrance! We have to get out of here so we can protect Lucy!"

Lector looked back at Sting, "But…"

"Go, Lector!" Sting shouted.

The red exceed stared at the back of his partner's head, eyes widening when he saw the unmistakable glimmer of a tear falling from Sting's face, "And..take her with you. Get Layla out of here."

Lector bowed his head, "O..okay…" Without another word, he picked up the too-still form of Layla and flew a few meters back to where Rogue was waiting.

"You will not get away!" Reyos growled, launching himself at them while they gathered around Rogue.

Sting's fist crashed into his face with a burst of light. Reyos hissed in fury, "Eucliffe, you bastard..!" He was silenced as Sting slammed him in the jaw with a fierce kick that sent the man flying.

The remnants of the group touched Rogue, then they melted into shadow with a final word from Lector, "Sting! I believe in you!"

The White Dragon nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes, "Yeah…"

Reyos turned into a shadow and lunged at him, "I knew you'd get in my way. But since the dragons in the future will kill you off anyways…History won't care if I take matters into my own hands."

Sting growled, "You're a heartless son of a bitch, you know that?!"

"Time is a funny thing. People change because of it." He flew out of the dark and blasted Sting with a mass of shadows, "Die, Sting Eucliffe."

Sting blocked the attack with his arms crossed, letting out a low breath as the smoke cleared, "You stole something irreplaceably precious to me right before my eyes…" He glared up at the man with hatred in his dark blue gaze, "Your way of doing things.._is fucked up!_ We'll protect our future our own way!"

**/**

Rogue brought the rest of the Fairy Tail team to the dining hall of the castle.

Charle glanced around, "Where are the others?"

"I asked Leo to take them outside. They'll be safer there." Rogue explained.

Lector stared at him, "Why didn't you just take us there?"

Rogue's eyes fell to Layla's unmoving form, "Listen…Don't tell Lucy the truth about her."

Wendy sniffed, "Why..? Layla is..she's Lucy and Sting's-"

"Lucy doesn't know that." Rogue interrupted, "And it's for the best that she doesn't learn of it."

"Do we really have the right to withhold that information from her?" Charle asked.

The Shadow Dragon's eyes fell to the ground, "I do not wish to hurt Lucy any more than this..It'll be bad enough when we tell her that her future self died..It would be even worse if we told her that this girl was really…"

Wendy was still crying, "B-but..that's why..she has to know…"

"Wendy." At his voice, the little girl looked up, eyes widening when she saw that even Rogue was having trouble maintaining his composure, "Think of the agony Sting is in right now. He was unable to do anything…No doubt he's blaming himself beneath all that anger right now…And that's why we can't tell Lucy. We cannot afford to put her in the same position. It could get her killed."

"But Lucy..." Lector sniffed, "She wasn't even there when…"

"Does it matter?" Rogue asked, "You know the kind of person Lucy is. She would never forgive herself if she knew what had really happened down in those tunnels. Even if she wasn't present, Lucy will blame herself anyways. You know that."

Lector mulled it over, then dipped his head, "Yes…You're right…" He picked up Layla and lifted her into the air, "I'm..going to take her somewhere safe…Somewhere where no one else can hurt her…"

Rogue lifted a hand to pat the red exceed's head, "…Lector..I wonder..if you could do me a favor..."

**/**

Hisui lifted her hand with a shout, "In response to the impending dragon attack, we shall commence the firing sequence of the Eclipse Cannon now!"

The gate unlocked at her command and started its preparations to be opened.

Darton stared up at the mighty machine with narrowed eyes. _We're finally opening the Eclipse…_

Arcadios too, found his gaze stuck on the huge gates. _I will see the princess's will through to the end. _He glanced to his soldiers, "What of the dragons?"

"No reported sightings from our observatory to the west!" one soldier said.

"Same with the east!" said another.

Arcadios nodded, "And the evacuation of the citizens?"

"It is proceeding as planned. We are almost finished." the soldiers reported.

Hisui let out a tense breath, "I pray we can eliminate them all with a single shot…It will take many more years to amass such a quantity of magic again."

**/**

Yukino stared past the bushes at the huge Eclipse gate, "We've stumbled upon something big, huh?"

"What are they opening the gates for?" Lucy muttered suspiciously.

Lily shook his head, "Who knows…But for now, we should tread lightly."

Yukino looked around them with a worried look, "Rogue and the others are late…And Leo's gone back to the Spirit World to ask Crux about the gates."

**/**

Arcadios recognized the faint magic power nearby and called out, "There's no need for you to hide yourselves. You can come out."

Hisui and Darton stared at him in question.

Lily led Lucy and Yukino out slowly with his arms crossed, "We've done nothing wrong, but that you're here with the Minister..."

Darton held out a hand, "The circumstances changed."

"Fairy Tail…" Hisui murmured, then smiled, "I'm sorry about what happened before. I'll issue a formal apology at a later date, when we don't have dragons breathing down our necks."

Yukino was surprised, "Well..thank you, Princess."

Hisui's smile became amused, "And another thing…Congratulations on your victory in the Grand Magic Games."

"Victory?!" Yukino gasped with delight.

Lily grinned, "They pulled through. But with Gajeel, that doesn't really surprise me."

Lucy was frowning, "Why are you opening the gates? What about the dragons?"

Hisui glanced at Arcadios, "They know?"

"They are aware of the disaster, but I did not inform them of the Eclipse 2 Plan…" Arcadios explained.

"Eclipse..2?" Yukino asked.

Hisui nodded, "That's right. Instead of using this magic to travel through time, we're going to unleash it all at once. The power this gate contains is on par with the Etherion of the Magic Council. Hopefully, it'll wipe the dragons off the face of the earth in one shot."

Lily whistled, "Wow. That's..very impressive…"

"To annihilate ten thousand dragons all at once…" Yukino murmured.

Arcadios glanced at Lucy, "Speaking of which, where's the rest of your group and the future, 'You'?"

Lucy shook her head, "I don't-"

"She was killed."

Their heads turned at Rogue's quiet words. The Shadow Dragon led Wendy and Charle out from the darkness.

Yukino stared at him with wide eyes, "Wh-what?"

Rogue gritted his teeth, "There was a man from the future. It was him. He killed Future Lucy."

Needless to say, the others were absolutely shocked.

"Lector took her away somewhere until the dragons go away." Wendy sniffed, then wiped her eyes, "And Sting is fighting that man from the future. He was very angry about Future Lucy's death…"

Arcadios raised an eyebrow, "Will he need assistance?"

Charle shook her head, "No. Right now, Sting's so angry, he'd probably blast anyone that got in his way. And that man from the future wiped out an entire garrison of soldiers, not to mention the Garou Knights. He's a formidable adversary."

Lucy's head whipped to the castle, but Rogue put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. I can still feel Sting's magic through the shadows. He's fighting with everything he has."

"…I know…but…" Lucy's face fell, "I just can't believe that happened…I..my future self..and Sting's fighting for his life down there…"

Yukino hugged the still crying Wendy, then glanced at the Shadow Dragon, "Rogue, who is the man from the future? Did you recognize him?"

_"Oh, did I?"_

They all responded to his angry hiss with startled expressions. Rogue practically snarled, "That bastard…I never would have guessed that he'd choose to show himself here."

Yukino swallowed, "Who was it?"

"You've met him before." Rogue growled, turning to look his mate in the eye. "He tried to kill you nine years ago..."

The girl stared at him for about three seconds to comprehend that. Then she went white. Her breath caught, "No way..you can't mean that..it's _him?!" _

Rogue nodded affirmative, his fangs bared in disgusted rage, "The shadow has finally returned…Reyos has come back to haunt us."

**/**

In the central square of Crocas, the King of Fiore, Toma, was gathering the mages from around the city together to amass a last ditch fighting force.

"…And that is the current situation." he explained. "We understand that it must be taxing for you, seeing as you've just participated in the Grand Magic Games…But right now..our kingdom and our country are in grave danger."

There was a lot of shocked murmurs amongst the gathered mages.

Makarov gulped, "Ten thousand dragons…?"

Evergreen bit her lip, "We couldn't do anything against just Acnologia…"

"No." Natsu grunted, "That one was…special."

"Still…" Lisanna gave him a worried glance, "This is ten thousand we're talking about…"

Toma got their attention by speaking again, "At this moment, we are executing a grand scale plan to defeat the dragon horde, but with such a vast number of them…it's more than likely that at least a hundred will survive the initial onslaught. That is why…I must beg you to help us. Please..use your power to defeat the remaining dragons. That is all I ask of you…"

The mages roared agreement.

"Hell yeah!"

"Of course!"

"We'll take the leftovers down!"

"Like a few monsters'll be able to bring us down!"

"This is our country!"

Toma was truly moved by their readiness to help out in such a dangerous situation. He couldn't help the tears of relief and joy that fell from his eyes.

Erza glanced at some Imperial Soldiers, "Our comrades were captured by the army…"

One of them nodded, "Don't worry, they just met up with the princess."

"Alright!" Gajeel cracked his knuckles, "With that behind us, let's give em' hell!"

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "Dragons, huh…"

"Looks like we're up." Laxus said with a confident smirk.

Happy cheered, "With you guys here to fight, there's no way we can lose!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch agreed.

Rufus glanced over at Orga, "Where's Minerva gone off to?"

The Lightning God shrugged, "Who knows…"

Lyon came up to Gray and Ur, "Sure brings me back…I haven't fought alongside you in a long time…"

Gray smirked, "Just be sure to stay out of my way."

"And both of you kids stay out of _mine._" Ur said amusedly.

Cheria was talking to Juvia, "Is Wendy okay?"

"I think so." Juvia replied happily.

Jura nodded to Laxus, "I look forward to fighting at your side. It will be a good way to warm up before we finish our match that was interrupted."

Laxus grinned, "You got it, old man." But as he said this, he glanced around with narrowed eyes. _Raven Tail isn't here…Did my shitty dad split after we took him out?_

The Trimens were eagerly awaiting the clash. With Mermaid Heel, Kagura stubbornly insisted on fighting, despite Milianna's protests. Bacchus and Goldmine rallied up Quatro Cerberus for their redemption fight.

Toma still cried, "Thank you…Thank you…Thank you…Kabo…"

The mages stopped at that and stared at him with looks of startled disbelief.

**/**

"Look at all those mages down there…" Lahar murmured.

Doranbalt nodded, "It's such an incredible sight…"

But Lahar was thinking rapidly, "The Eclipse? Simply having it in their possession means they've broken at least thirty different laws…We need to report this to headquarters immediately."

"Lahar. Doranbalt."

The two men turned at the voice, but recoiled when they realized who it was.

"Jellal!" Lahar shouted.

"What are you...?!" Doranbalt muttered suspiciously.

"I have a request." Jellal murmured.

**/**

Sting skidded to a stop as Reyos pushed him back once again. He growled lowly, "You reek of evil…You didn't come here to save the future at all, did you?!"

Reyos simply smirked.

**/**

The locks on the gate all undone, Eclipse began to open, releasing a powerful aura of magic power that made the people before it shiver.

Lucy swallowed. _The gates are opening…_

**/**

With a gong, the bell in the city announced the coming of midnight.

The date, July 7th, X791.

In the town square, Gajeel glared up at the sky, "July 7th…"

"The same day your dragons disappeared…" Levy murmured.

Black Steel nodded, "And the same day that a herd of them is supposed to appear…"

Makarov rallied his guild, "Fairy Tail will make it's stand here in the town square."

Warren looked around, "What about the other guilds?"

"They've already spread out to strategic points in the city." Max explained.

Gray crossed his arms confidently, "Thanks to the healers in the military and Chelia, we've managed to regain quite a bit of mobility…"

"We may have been able to fully recover if Wendy were here." Juvia commented.

Freed looked up at the sky and frowned, "The moon…looks ominous tonight…"

Laxus also glanced up at the moon through narrowed eyes, "The…Eclipse…"

**/**

Sting paused as he felt the ground shake. He shifted uneasily, "What's that racket?"

Reyos was still smirking, "The Eclipse is opening…" He lunged and attacked Sting with a wave of shadows, talking all the while, "The possibility does exist that the gates will open fully even if Lucy is left alive…But I'm certain she'll find a way to interfere with the process somewhere along the lines." Reyos shoved the White Dragon back again, still grinning, "Lucy will prevent the door from opening…"

"She'd never do that!" Sting growled, "Lucy would never steal the future from all of those people!"

"You're in my way…" Reyos sneered. An eruption of darkness sent Sting flying towards the ceiling, hissing with a dark satisfaction, "I will make sure that Lucy takes her last breath..."

_"Over my dead body!" _Sting snarled, then his body exploded with white flames as he shot down from the ceiling. _"Whitefire Dragon Mode!" _he roared.

Reyos's eyes widened in surprise as Sting turned into a fireball and came down to crash his fist into the other man's head, "Whitefire Dragon's Flash Strike!" The punch generated a huge explosion of flame that burned at Reyos's body, but he appeared unfazed.

In fact, Reyos's smirk became filled with a dark delight, "So, that's the power you kept in your back pocket when you fought Oracion Seis a month ago?!"

"You want another taste?!" the White Dragon bellowed.

But suddenly, the left side of Reyos's body flashed with bright light, while his right half became enveloped in shadows. His hair spiked up and became much more wild. Sting was momentarily stunned by the strange aura of black and white. Reyos grinned, _"White Shadow Dragon Mode…"_

Sting blinked in disbelief, then howled in pain as Reyos shot past him in a blur and slashed a deep wound into his side. "I have attained…both light and shadow to bend at my very whim…" Reyos held a hand out at the stunned Dragon Slayer, then shouted, "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!"

Thin, but sharp beams of light and shadow suddenly appeared all around Sting, then sliced into his body all over, doing severe damage to the already injured White Dragon.

Sting collapsed, too heavily wounded to remain standing. He coughed on blood and lifted his head shakily, "The White..Shadow…how..?"

Reyos's smirk became filled with fiendish cruelty, "I suppose I could tell you..Remember I said the dragons slew you in the future? That was a..half truth." He chuckled, "The true cause of your death? It was my doing. Mine alone. Although..if I let things go as they were before, you won't die for another three years..."

Sting glared up at him weakly, "How could you be..the same as Rogue…were you always so heartless?"

"But of course." Reyos laughed, "This heartless beast is going to take your life here, just as it did in the future…" He inhaled deeply.

_Breath…_Sting thought, but he was losing consciousness fast.

"White Shadow Dragon's…!" Reyos paused before he could release the attack, noticing multiple orbs of crystal hovering around him.

"Flash Forward!"

The crystal orbs rained down in blurs at the place where Reyos had been standing, but a shadow darted out of the cloud of smoke and disappeared.

Ultear held her hand out, calling the orb back to her.

"He ran away!" Meredy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Sting!" Ultear shouted, running to the wounded Dragon Slayer, "Pull yourself together! Meredy, he needs first aid, now!"

Meredy nodded, "Yes-?!" She gasped in shock at the ground beneath Sting.

Ultear paled, "No..This can't be…" Shadows were lapping at Sting's body, trying to drag him down into their dark depths. "Sting! This is bad…He's being enveloped by the shadows!"

**/**

Eclipse was already halfway open.

While the soldiers stared in awe, Lector came back to join the others at the gate. He landed by Charle and Lily, his whiskers twitching, "Th-that's a ton of magic power."

"Indeed…With something like that on our side, wiping out all the dragons doesn't seem so impossible." Charle murmured.

Lily crossed his arms, "To think such a vast amount of magic could be concentrated in such a finite space…"

Wendy glanced at Lucy, "Our futures don't seem so bleak now…"

She didn't remove her eyes from the gates, "Yeah..."

The Sky Sorceress sniffed, "Future Lucy can finally rest in peace…"

Lucy said nothing at first, then suddenly stepped forwards.

Yukino frowned, "Lucy...?"

"No…"

Rogue's face went white. _Lucy…You..couldn't be..._

Lucy stared up at the Eclipse with wide eyes, "This door..must remain closed…I shall…seal the door at once…"


	59. The Seven Dragons

**Okay, considering what happened as of manga chapter 336, I feel comfortable enough to get the rest of this battle posted! Even as I say that, did anyone else notice that Charle's vision has yet to come true? Mercurius hasn't fallen and Lucy hasn't cried! I think we might have a certain black dragons showing up in the near future! **

**Another chapter will soon follow this one, so as always, please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 59: The Seven Dragons_

"Close the gates this instant!" Lucy shouted. "Don't let them open completely!"

Wendy blinked, "L-Lucy? Why are you against it all of a sudden?"

Arcadios stared at her uneasily, "What are you saying?"

_It's already been decided that she will close the gates._ Rogue thought back to what Reyos had said, still unable to believe it, but finding a shred of truth in his words now, "Lucy, why?"

The gates to Eclipse opened completely with a grating stop.

Lucy shouted again, "Close them right now!"

Hisui stood in her path, "Not happening! This door is the only weapon we have to defeat the dragons! If we close it now, the world is doomed!"

"It's not the weapon you think it is!" Lucy argued, "It's just a portal that connects timelines!"

"Releasing that magic _is _the Eclipse Cannon!" Hisui shot back.

"I'm telling you you're wrong!" Lucy yelled.

Arcadios stepped up, "Remember..this is the princess you are speaking to. Tread lightly."

"That door is connected to four hundred years in the past!" Lucy shrieked.

Rogue frowned. _Four hundred years…dragons…! Wait, but that's-! No! Lucy's right!_

Without a word, he lunged for the gates.

"Rogue! What are you-?!" Yukino's shout became a squeak as a shockwave burst from the gates.

Lily staggered, "What is this?! That was a violent tremor!"

Arcadios caught Hisui before she could fall, "Are you okay?!"

Hisui nodded, "I'm fine…But what was..?"

The soldiers stopped working. The courtyard became dead silent as a shadow appeared from _inside the gates._

Yukino gasped, "Oh my...!" Rogue immediately placed himself between her and the gates, but even he was too shocked to do more than that.

Lector's fur fluffed up, "N-no way…"

Wendy stared up at the shadow with huge eyes, "Please tell me I'm dreaming…"

"Ahh…" Lucy breathed in terror.

The shadow seemed to swell, then it came clear out of the Eclipse.

A titanic dragon stepped through and took a mighty, deep breath, **"****_HAAHHHH….."_**

Hisui's eyes became as round as the full moon, "A dragon..just walked through that gate..!"

**_"GRRRAAAAHHHHHHH!"_**

Still shocked from terrified disbelief, the people surrounding the gate were sent flying by the tremendous bellow that ripped from the dragon's jaws. As they struggled to recover, the beast slammed it's front foot down on the ground and sent forth a shock wave that tore through the city, shredding anything in it's path.

**/**

Fairy Tail froze as _something _ripped through the city just a few meters from the town square where they were stationed.

Natsu hissed, "They're here."

**/**

Sabertooth also noticed the huge attack that devastated a large part of Crocas.

Zancrow bristled with surprise at the extent of the damage, "They arrived already?!"

"They must be at the castle." Rufus murmured with narrowed eyes.

**/**

Immediately following the first, a second dragon, this one with fish-like fins and webbed feet, walked through the gates and took off. Behind, the shadow of yet another dragon loomed in the open doorway.

Lucy ran over to Hisui, who was in horrified disbelief, "How do we close the gates?!"

The princess gulped, "Th-the pedestal…but…"

Ignoring her, Lucy made a run for the pedestal, but then the third dragon, this one with a body made entirely of flames, came through and let loose a roar, which sent her sprawling away. Even though she was winded for a moment, Lucy staggered to her feet and tried again.

Wendy helped her gradually get closer to the pedestal, shouting while they ran, "Lucy! How did you know?!"

"I didn't!" she answered, "I sent Leo to ask grandpa Crux about the gate! He just finished his analysis! It should have worked, but that moon is interfering with the magic! And now the Eclipse has connected itself to four hundred years in the past! The same time that dragons ruled!"

The princess was in a state of terrified shock, "Ten thousand…dragons..are..spilling out..from the gates…"

Darton was stunned, "This can't be…It's completely ludicrous…"

Lucy pulled on the lever with all her might, but it wouldn't budge. She screamed, "Why won't it close?!"

Arcadios bit his lip, "Her Celestial Magic isn't enough to close the gates?"

Hisui was crying, "This is all..my fault…I've miscalculated horribly…"

A fourth dragon came out, this one with a body made of stone. It stomped on the ground and released a bellow, which repelled Lucy from the pedestal.

"The dragon's hate and animosity will destroy this world…" Hisui sobbed.

"I won't let that happen!" Lucy cried, "I'm not going to die here! I want to see more sunrises and sunsets! I love the world just the way it is!"

**/**

In the tunnels, Ultear was still trying to drag Sting from the hungry shadows, "Get yourself together!"

Meredy swallowed uneasily at another earthquake, "What's with these tremors? What's happening outside?"

To their surprise and relief, a hand reached up and gripped Ultear's shoulder. Sting had regained consciousness and was hauling himself out of the shadows. He caught his breath and growled, "I..I have to go…I made a promise…"

**/**

Lucy was almost blown backwards by another dragon roar, but this time, Rogue caught her and also grabbed the lever on the pedestal. She stared with surprise at his angry hiss, "We're not going to die here…I swore…"

**/**

_"That I would protect the future!"_

**/**

At this point, five dragons had come through, the most recent addition being a huge, white beast with a pincer shaped blade on it's upper and lower jaws. Another dragon was already coming through behind it.

Lily's tail was bristling, "They just keep pouring through!"

"At this rate, the number of dragons that come through could be unlimited!" Charle cried.

Rogue gritted his teeth, "Lucy, pull! Don't worry about the dragons, just close the damn thing!"

"It's not working!" she shrieked, pulling until her muscles burned, but to no avail.

Arcadios tch'd, "Her power isn't enough!"

Rogue was thinking at a million miles an hour, having recovered from the shock of the dragon's surprise invasion. It took him a minute, but then it clicked. He whipped back behind him and roared, "Yukino! Lucy! The keys! Use the twelve Zodiacs!"

Lucy's eyes widened in realization, "The..Celestial Spirits..!"

"Combined, you can use all twelve of the golden keys to seal the Eclipse!" Rogue yelled.

Yukino gasped, "That's right! Lucy!"

"I'm right behind you!" she shouted back.

The girls threw their keys up and joined hands, closing their eyes in concentration. Around them, the twelve keys hovered in a full circle and shimmered gold. They chanted together, "O' Celestial Spirits of the Twelve Golden Paths, lend us the power to seal this evil! Open! Twelve gates of the…"

**"ZODIAC!"**

The spirits materialized around them in glittering gold, their faces dead set with determination.

Lucy and Yukino whispered, "We're counting on you…"

With that, the spirits flew off and slammed into the gates, forcing the doors shut as another dragon attempted to get through. The beast looked more like a saber toothed tiger, and was strong enough to hold the gates open, despite the Zodiacs giving it all they had and then some.

"It's too strong!" Wendy cried.

"Get out of the way!" Rogue bellowed. He shot forward in a blur and leaped up so he was face to face with the huge dragon, who snarled at the sight of him. Putting his hands together, Rogue generated a huge sphere of darkness, then hurled it at the dragon with a roar, "Shadow Dragon's Night Raze!"

The shadows crashed into the dragon's head and emitted a powerful black shockwave, causing the beast to howl in pain and retreat. Seizing their chance, the Zodiacs slammed the gates shut, disappearing as they did so.

Lucy and Yukino cheered, "It worked!"

"Don't celebrate yet!" Arcadios shouted, "How many?! How many dragons already came through?!"

One of the soldiers reported fast, "There are seven dragons, sir!"

"Seven is enough."

They all spun around as Reyos walked up with a smirk, "To be honest, controlling ten thousand of them is simply too big a nightmare anyways. And although I don't appreciate you sticking your noses where they don't belong..Lucy..Yukino…Seven..will suffice."

Hisui swallowed, "He's the one..he told me about the dragons…"

"He's the one who deceived you, princess?!" Arcadios stood guard in front of her and reached for his sword.

Yukino stared at him in disbelief, "Reyos…it really was you…"

"Did you think I had died?" he sneered, "Rogue merely exiled me. And although it did take some time to construct this body and regain my full power, he far from killed me."

Lucy gave the man a fierce glare, "Where's Sting?"

Reyos's smirk became cruel, "Oh, him…He's..probably already dead…"

It felt like her heart froze. Lucy stared at him with eyes wide in disbelief, but her voice trembled, "Th..that...is a lie…"

The man shrugged, "Perhaps. In any case, his wounds are severe…"

Rogue snarled at him, "You wanted this from the start…"

Reyos's grin returned as he jumped up onto Mercurius to overlook the people below, "Listen well, foolish citizens!" His hands came up to his sides, then to everyone's shock, the dragons began to circle him like wolves around their leader. Reyos shouted down, "From here on, the human species will go extinct…Now begins..the era of dragons..!"

He glanced up at the dragons flying overhead, "For a start, find the mages scattered in this city and kill them."

Five of the dragons flew off immediately, but two lingered.

Wendy's eyes were huge, "Th-the dragons..! Why?! Why are they obeying him?!"

Reyos smirked, "The secret art of dominating dragons…Dragon Manipulation Magic…I discovered this spell..in the future…!" He leaped onto the hand of the first dragon as it flew by him, the beast reaching out to catch it's master.

"Dominating..dragons?" Lector whispered.

Charle gulped, "What does he want?"

"I'm not sure…" Lily muttered, thoroughly confounded by the dangerous situation.

"Reyos!" Rogue bellowed, "Get down here and fight me!"

Completely ignoring him, Reyos turned to the other dragon that had lingered by the castle, still grinning in dark satisfaction, "You may do as you please here…Zilconis."

To their shock, the massive Emerald Dragon laughed with a predatory grin, **"Ahahaha! Those humans are making my mouth water!**"

Lector bristled, "H-hold on, he's supposed to be dead! He was in the dragon's graveyard!"

"This Zilconis must be from before he died..!" Charle gasped.

Wendy stared in disbelief, "No way…"

Reyos flew off on the first dragon, Rogue yelling after him, "Reyos! Get back here!"

"Pursue him!" Arcadios shouted, "We'll deal with this dragon!"

The Shadow Dragon nodded and glanced at the others, but mostly Yukino, "Be careful."

"We will. You too." she replied worriedly.

Rogue shot off in pursuit of Reyos while the others faced the still laughing Zilconis as he landed.

**/**

A massive fire dragon crashed to the ground before the Fairy Tail mages, roaring with power and crackling flames.

Droy screamed, "A dragon!"

"It's body's..made of flames?!" Max said incredulously.

"Get ready!" Natsu yelled.

The incarnate dragon growled at them, **"My name is Atlas Flame. You shall now experience…the flames of hell…"**

A torrent of fire burst from his jaws and enveloped the mages, but then the flames all focused to a single point, much to the dragon's surprise, **"What?!"**

"Man, oh man!" Natsu finished devouring the huge meal of flames and swallowed, then grinned, "I really needed that. Now I'm all fired up!"

Atlas Flame hissed furiously, **"Accursed Dragon Slayer!"**

Gajeel glanced back at the guild, "Is everyone still kickin'?!"

Levy nodded, "We're okay!"

"That's Natsu for you!" Happy cheered.

"As long as he's here, this guy can't do shit to us!" Cana laughed.

But the Salamander shook his head, "Keep back! I don't think he was being serious…And I won't be able to swallow an attack any larger than that last one..it really filled me up just now…"

**/**

The dragon with pincer blades landed before Sabertooth with a mighty bellow. Zancrow led the charge with a fierce shout, "Sabertooth's all out assault!"

"YEAH!" The guild roared behind him as they exploders into battle.

**/**

Blue Pegasus confronted the dragon made of stone. As his guild shouted with alarm, Ichiya pointed at it, "Don't panic! Show it the power of the pegasus!"

Rallying behind him, the mages yelled agreement, "Damn straight!"

**/**

Lamia Scale's plan to overwhelm their dragon with numbers wasn't going as planned. Jura couldn't even crack the hard scales covering the mighty beasts. He gritted his teeth, "Can we really beat this thing…?!"

Mermaid Heel wasn't much better. Even unsheathed, Kagura's Archenemy blade didn't cause so much as a scratch onto the dragon she fought. The Swordswoman gasped as she was pushed back, "It's scales are too tough!"

**/**

The dragons raged and devastated parts of the city with every move, shredding buildings and sending people flying everywhere.

Reyos flew above, watching the destructions with a twisted delight, "Yes! Run wild! Carve into their very soul the wrath of a dragon!"

As he laughed, Rogue chased after him on foot and shouted, "You are not getting away from me!"

But Reyos's attention was diverted by someone else. A figure stood on a high tower, holding onto a pole with one hand to keep his balance.

Rogue stopped in his tracks at the sight.

Reyos grinned, "Sting Eucliffe…"

Sting glared up at him with rage in his eyes, and even wounded, he remained steady and unflinching.

"You're like a roach…" Reyos sneered, then glanced down at his dragon, "…Kill him."

The dragon roared and flew at Sting, snapping off the top of the tower with its massive jaws. Sting leaped up and landed on the dragon, then shot after Reyos with a fist cloaked in white light. Reyos blocked easily and tried to maneuver behind him, but Sting lashed out with a fierce kick, "White Dragon's Wave Fang!"

The light missed Reyos and stuck to the dragon's wing, where it exploded and made the beast roar in pain. It rolled instinctively, forcing Sting to grab on so he didn't fall off.

Reyos attached himself to the dragon with a shadow and faced him, "Look…Observe the city…"

The dragons below were rampaging even more, destroying anything in their path. Reyos crossed his arms, "No matter what you do now, it's pointless. The dragons have already won."

Sting growled, "What's your aim?!"

Reyos simply smirked.

**/**

"Dammit, look out!" Natsu shouted as some of Atlas Flame's breath made it past his defense.

Makarov went into his Titan Form and blew the remaining flames aside with his huge fist in an effort to protect the rest of his guild.

Atlas Flame snarled, **"You blocked my breath without the power of a dragon?! Am I in the presence of wizards?!"**

"Wizards? That's just scratching the surface." Makarov brought his fist back and slammed it into the dragon's head, "What you're fighting is a family!"

Though his strike was powerful, it didn't do anything to Atlas Flame, whose incarnate body simply burned Makarov's hand. The Master recoiled and swore, "Shit…"

Happy stared in disbelief, "Master's attack didn't do anything?!"

**"In the end, you're just humans." **Atlas Flame snarled, **"Dragon Slayers or not, you cannot defeat a dragon. That, is your fate…" **He lashed out with his tail to create a wave of fire, and even Natsu couldn't block the whole attack, which sent the Fairy Tail mages flying.

**/**

The dragon Sabertooth was fighting slashed madly, ripping the street apart while it sent people flying everywhere.

Zancrow staggered back to catch his breath, "That thing's a beast!"

Orga tch'd, "Crap, even my strongest spells aren't doing a damn thing…"

"If my memory is correct, only Dragon Slayer magic can defeat a dragon." Rufus gasped, "The dragons were so powerful, that a form of magic had to be created in order to conquer them. Magic that we don't have…"

"No shit." Orga grunted as the dragon roared and made another shock wave, "Gods are hard to kill, but I didn't think that the effect it had on a dragon would be so different…What a freaking monster…"

**/**

"Remember when I told you that dragons rule the future?" Reyos asked with a grin, "Well, that was..another half truth…The ten thousand dragons came through the gates, but it was only for a brief time. Their arrival summoned the real monster…Acnologia…"

Sting froze in shock.

"When it appeared, the dragons retreated back through the gates, but its killing spree didn't end with the few unlucky dragons who couldn't escape…Acnologia destroyed what was left of Crocas and went on to conquer the world…" The man's eyes narrowed.

"No guilds..no wizards to stand in its way…Mankind lives in constant fear…I developed this magic to control dragons, but it had no effect on Acnologia." Reyos explained, "So I'll use these dragons to kill him, since a dragon is the only creature on this earth which can hurt that black beast." He smirked darkly, "And then I'll be the Dragon King! The very thought gets my blood boiling!"

Sting glared at him, but then sniffed the air, "My nose tells me…there are seven dragons…"

Reyos nodded, "Seven are enough…I can make the world mine…"

"Well then…" Sting grinned, "You've got real shitty luck!"

Reyos's eye widened as Sting crashed his light-enhanced fist straight into the dragon's back.

The beast screeched in pain, arching in midair, **"GAAHH!"**

Reyos staggered from it's sudden movement, "You're kidding me!"

"LISTEN UP!" Sting roared at the top of his lungs, "IT'S CALLED **"DRAGON SLAYER"** FOR A REASON!"

**/**

Wendy gasped, "That's Sting! He's okay!"

Lucy almost collapsed from relief, smiling with teary eyes, "Thank goodness…"

**/**

"SEVEN DRAGONS! SEVEN DRAGON SLAYERS!" Sting bellowed, "THIS IS WHAT WE WERE MADE FOR!"

Reyos covered his ears and tch'd, "You bastard…"

Sting jumped up and sucked in a deep breath, **"GO! HUNT THEM DOWN!"**

The dragon screeched again as Sting's Holy Breath crashed into it's body.

**/**

Natsu grinned, "I'm all fired up!"

Laxus nodded, "Let's do it!"

Gajeel cackled, "Gee-hee!"

**/**

Rogue stared at the now wounded dragon, having made up his mind, "I'll leave Reyos to you, then. The other guilds need help." He rushed off to find another dragon.

**/**

Reyos smirked, "Seven...? Looks like you're not good with numbers…"

Sting grinned back, "I can hear him…"

**/**

Lahar looked at Doranbalt with concern, "Sorry to make you travel so far."

The man waved his hand, clearly exhausted, "It's nothing…"

Lahar glanced to a third man, "The dragons are laying waste to the city…"

"Yeah…I can hear them…"

Doranbalt gasped, "We need your help!"

"I got it." Standing tall, Cobra grinned, "I heard it all, kid…"


	60. Men and Dragons

**Sorry for the wait! With the manga's arc finally over, I'll post the last chapters to this arc every two days. As a matter of fact, I think the Rising Dragon Champions will likely end around either chapter 65, or maybe 70. After that, I'll finish the Reborn Oracion Seis Arc, then I will either start Rogue and Reyos's story, or begin the sequel to the Rising Dragon Champions.**

**As always, please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 60: Men and Dragons_

Even wounded by Sting's attacks, the huge dragon flying overhead shook off the injuries and kept it's balance, roaring out indignantly.

Reyos remained calm and confident despite the damage done to the dragon he rode. He continued to smirk as he faced Sting, "It's futile. Humans will never best the dragons."

"Then I'll just quit being a human, if that's what it takes to protect everyone." Sting growled.

"Motherglare…" Reyos called.

The huge dragon bellowed in response, then fired off dozens of eggs from the pores in its stomach. They rained down and crashed all over the city, hatching into dragon-like creatures a little larger than the average man.

**/**

The majority of the dragon spawn met Fairy Tail first, who weren't too happy with the current situation.

Jet's jaw dropped, "What the hell?! More monsters?!"

Elfman gritted his teeth, "It's tough enough dealing with this freaking dragon, but now we've gotta fight these things too?!"

Atlas Flame roared and jumped up over the mages, intending to crush them beneath his blazing form. The members of Fairy Tail yelled in shock.

"Oh, _hell _no!" Natsu roared back, then leaped up to ram his fist into the dragon's huge head with enough force to repel him from the other mages.

Atlas Flame snarled, **"You…!"**

Natsu bared his fangs at the incarnate dragon, "The big guy's mine! The rest of you do something about the runts!"

Romeo shouted, "You can't fight that thing alone!"

"No."

Mavis appeared in their midst with a serious expression, "He's right. You heard Sting. Only a Dragon Slayer can defeat a dragon. Leave this one to Natsu. Gajeel, go intercept another one. Laxus, head for the castle. Wendy's fighting there, but she's inexperienced. She's probably got her hands full by now. The smaller ones can be defeated by our other mages."

Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe flew off, while Gajeel took Levy and went looking for another dragon to fight.

The other mages of Fairy Tail began to engage the dragon spawn, who while powerful, didn't appear to have very high defenses.

Atlas Flame rammed his head into Natsu and sent the Salamander flying away, but Elfman caught him quickly. The big man grunted, "The Take Over Siblings have got your back!"

"We're family, after all." Mirajane murmured, having already gone into her Satan Soul form, "We'll help you out any way we can."

Lisanna went into her Tigress Take Over and also joined them, "Don't worry about being attacked from behind. We'll take out any small ones that get in the way."

"Well, geez." Natsu wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth with a hand while he grinned, "This feels nostalgic. There ain't no way I can lose like this!"

Happy flew over and picked him up, "Aye, sir!"

Atlas Flame roared as they charged, **"Prepare for the end, foolish humans!"**

**/**

Rogue came around a corner to find Kagura engaging the Water Dragon, which was easily getting the better of the Mermaid Heel mages.

The Swordswoman skidded to a halt as the dragon pushed her back, then made a lunge to engulf her in it's massive jaws.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

With a screech of pain, the Water Dragon recoiled away from Kagura, retreating a few paces to appraise the new threat.

Rogue offered a hand to the fallen mage, "I'm here to help out."

"Glad to see you decided to show up." she said dryly, "Can your magic really defeat this thing?"

Activating his Shadow Drive, Rogue let out a growl, "One way to find out."

**/**

The dragon Sabertooth was fighting slashed madly, ripping the street apart and sending the mages flying with terrifying ease.

Zancrow flinched as a house, yes, a _house_, crashed not two meters away from where he was standing after the dragon had thrown the building sky high. He muttered lowly, "Yeah, this isn't going too well!"

Orga tch'd, "Why don't we have a Dragon Slayer here?!"

"Ya got one now!"

Gajeel leaped off a building and landed a vicious punch to the dragon's head, making it screech and back away. Levy ran up from the street a short distance behind him, with Jet and Droy on her heels.

Rustyrose smirked, "Guess we have to team up?"

"No freaking way." Gajeel grunted as he cracked his knuckles, "Get lost! Levy, get these guys away from this overgrown reptile. I might just beat the tar out of them if they get in my way."

While the Sabertooth mages looked more than a little irritated at Black Steel's cockiness, Levy managed to get them on her side with a glance at Zancrow, who was close to empty on magic power, "You power up by eating flames, right?"

At the Flame God's nod, she quickly pulled out a pen and wrote in midair, "Solid Script: Fire!"

Zancrow took the flaming words without a second thought and swallowed them almost instantly. He sighed and patted his stomach, "Oh, that hit the spot…"

"Come on!" Levy shouted, "We have to get away from here! Leave the dragon to Gajeel! Only a Dragon Slayer can beat these things! Zancrow can use the power up I gave him to protect the others from the smaller ones!"

Reluctantly, the Sabertooth mages ran with Jet and Droy at the head.

Levy glanced back at Gajeel as he stared down the huge, bladed dragon. She murmured softly, "Be safe…Please…"

Gajeel said nothing, but nodded without turning away from his enemy. As Levy retreated, he thought silently to himself. _Don't die on me, shrimp. _

**/**

Blue Pegasus was at a loss. Ichiya's magic perfume had failed to affect the Rock Dragon at all, and Jenny's "Sex Appeal Strategy" did nothing either. When Hibiki was unable to find a strategy to defeat the beast, they very nearly gave in, but a ray of light shone through, despite the dire situation.

Cobra dove in out of nowhere and attacked the dragon with a ferocious poison attack. The Rock Dragon bellowed in pain while the Poison Dragon Slayer grinned, "Outta my way, freak show!"

**/**

Lahar and Doranbalt watched Cobra ambush the Rock Dragon with as calm a look as they could manage.

"Who would have thought we'd heed Jellal's advice…" Lahar muttered in wonderment.

Doranbalt snorted, "If we're really lucky…the Council will expel only us two…"

Lahar shook his head, "Worrying about our futures can come after making sure there is one. We should get moving."

The men behind them shouted, "HELL YEAH!"

**/**

Sting skidded back as Reyos attacked him again. The White Dragon glared at his enemy and growled, "As long as we're giving it our all as one…There's nothing we can't accomplish…"

Reyos grinned, "You're so ignorant of the frightening power of a dragon…"

**/**

At Mercurius, the Emerald Dragon Zilconis laughed at the humans beneath him, **"Ahahahahaha! Now which one of you is gonna be my appetizer?!"**

The soldiers cringed, but Wendy frowned, "Don't you remember us?"

When the Emerald Dragon shook his head, Charle muttered, "Of course he doesn't. We spoke with his dead spirit, remember?"

"There's no time for hesitation!" Lily urged, "You heard Sting! Only Dragon Slayers can defeat dragons!"

"But…" Wendy looked to the ground uneasily.

Zilconis grinned, **"I got it…I'll just eat all of you at once!" **

He released a burst of energy from his mouth, which enveloped all of the soldiers. The girls and exceed barely managed to dodge, as did Arcadios when he grabbed Hisui and dragged her out of the attack radius.

Lector hissed, "This sucks! How can we beat something like that?!"

The smoke faded to reveal the men.

It was…unsightly.

They were all stripped of their armor and buck-ass naked. The soldiers quickly realized this, resulting in a large number of rather girly screams.

Zilconis roared with laughter, **"The looks on your faces! Humans really are pleasing to the palate, but their clothes…Not so much. So I took the liberty of removing them for you!"**

The soldiers, thoroughly humiliated and embarrassed, ran off immediately, probably to find something to cover up. Unfortunately for Minister Darton, he was also among the ones who were hit with Zilconis's magic.

The Emerald Dragon scratched his chin, **"You know come to think of it…Men also taste horrible…" **He licked his lips and grinned again, **"Just the women, then. I'm a ladies man, after all!"**

Lucy cringed at his words.

Wendy gulped, "That wasn't a breath attack…Was that magic just now?"

Zilconis nodded proudly, **"Very perceptive of you…All dragons can use magic to some extent…" **

He puffed a bit of air that smote Lucy and, to her horrified dismay, rendered her nude.

Zilconis sneered, **"Magic which strips humans of their dignity, that is…"**

Wendy did not approve of that. She glared up at the Emerald Dragon, "My magic will be the one that crushes you!"

Zilconis raised a scaly eyebrow, **"You're gonna crush me, little girl?"**

"WHO CARES?!" Lucy shrieked, "Gimme some clothes!"

The Emerald Dragon suddenly grabbed her and smirked down at the others, **"Well then, can you defeat me before I devour this young lady?!"**

Wendy held her hands out to the sides, "Arms, Vernier, enchant!"

Yukino whipped out her keys with a shout, "En garde!"

Wendy gave Zilconis one of the most menacing looks she'd ever given anyone, "I will!"

**"CONCEITED LITTLE-!" **Zilconis roared.

The shockwave of his bellow threw the girls off balance, which the Emerald Dragon took as a chance to fly up and laugh, **"What now?! Humans can't fly, can they?!"**

He held Lucy up above his open jaws with a grin. Lucy struggled to get loose, but she was seriously about to become dragon food.

"Pisces!" Yukino cried, sending forth the two fish spirits to crash into Zilconis's jaw, but the attack was useless against his tough scales.

The Emerald Dragon sneered, **"Like that's gonna work."**

"Then how about this?!"

Zilconis's eyes widened as Wendy flew up behind him with Charle and took a deep breath, then shouted, "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

**"GUOHHHH!" **Zilconis bellowed in pain as the tornado of breath slammed into the back of his head. He whipped around with blazing eyes and bared fangs, **"You little…!"**

Without warning, he suddenly hurled Lucy away, sending the still naked girl flying across the city.

Yukino gasped, "Lucy!"

"I'll get her!" Lector shouted and flew after her at his max speed.

Wendy nodded, "I'm counting on you. Just leave things here to me. I'll deal with Zilconis…"

**/**

Sting was once again pushed back by Reyos's shadows, skidding to a stop on Motherglare's back. He tch'd and glared at his enemy, who smirked back, "My power now far exceeds what it was back when I was with the Reborn Oracion Seis. You have no hope."

"Shut up!" Sting growled as he stood up, albeit rather shakily.

"STING! HELP MEEE!"

The White Dragon turned with a frown at the scream, but his eyes almost exploded out of his head when he saw Lucy, stark naked, literally flying through the air straight at them. He was so frozen to the spot that he couldn't react when she slammed into him and sent the both of them falling off of Motherglare.

Reyos stared after them with a confused mixture of awkwardness and surprise.

**/**

Sting and Lucy crashed into a bell and snapped the metal off it's hinges, sending it rolling down the tower. Sting was immediately rendered motion sick, while Lucy screamed until the bell came to a stop and let them fall out in a dizzy heap.

He groaned and stood up shakily, "Why the hell are you naked?"

"It was Zilconis! I swear!" she sighed, then tried to cover herself up, "D-don't look at me…it's so embarrassing…"

Sting found his eyes locked onto her at that statement. _Did she HAVE to sound all cute and helpless like that? It's not helping the situation…_

When he continued to stare at her, Lucy grabbed his face to cover his eyes and wailed, "I told you to stop looking at me!"

Sting stumbled back and stepped on the bell, making him slip and send both of them in a backwards flip that ended with Sting on top of Lucy, his hands on her breasts while their lips were forced together. The pair froze when they also realized that Lucy's legs were somehow wrapped around his middle.

"Wow, you two are so bold. Should I go away for a while?" Lector flew over with a big snigger.

The two flew apart with a gasp and tried their best to look as unaffected as possible, but since they were both steaming red, it was pretty much useless.

Sting saw a blanket nearby and snatched it, then handed it to Lucy, "C-cover up. It's torn, but it's better than nothing."

"Th-thanks…" Lucy muttered gratefully as she wrapped the cloth around her body.

Lector scratched his head, "Are you okay? Zilconis threw you halfway across the city…"

Lucy nodded, "Y-yeah, I'm okay. I didn't know dragons could use magic like that, though. What about you, Sting?"

"I didn't know." he admitted, "I mean, I know dragons can use magic thanks to Vicelogia, but I didn't know a breath attack could be used to target something specific like clothing. Then there's Reyos, that bastard. He's no joke…"

Lucy sighed, "They're all so strong…the Fire Dragon…the Rock Dragon…even that Zilconis…And Reyos must be so powerful, since he's controlling all of them at once. What do we do?"

Sting's eye twitched for a moment. He frowned.

Lucy stared at him. She knew that look. He was thinking.

The White Dragon looked back up at Motherglare, "…I think…I might have an idea…It's a bit risky, but…"

Now Lucy's eyes widened. If even Sting thought it was risky, she was certain she wasn't going to like this.

"What do you have in mind?"

**/**

Erza stumbled and tripped at last, surrounded by Motherglare's spawns. _Damn, I got separated…and my legs won't move…How pathetic…I couldn't show my vulnerable side to my comrades…not even once…Even though I know acting tough isn't real strength..._

The dragon spawn snarled and snapped at her hungrily. Erza closed her eyes. _So this is how it ends…_

They lunged for her, but then there was a gold explosion and the dragon spawn screeched as they were destroyed.

Jellal emerged from the smoke cloud with a look of worried relief on his face, "Need a hand…?"

Erza smiled up at him, "Thank you…"

"…Jellal…"

The two of them froze at the voice, then turned to see Milianna staring at them with a look of anger on her face.

**/**

"Will this really work?" Lector asked nervously as they flew.

Sting nodded, "Just leave it to me. I'll figure it out somehow!"

As they flew off, Lucy was left behind to call after them, "Wait, Sting! Hold on a minute!"

Beside her, Virgo sighed, "You take too long choosing your wardrobe, princess."

"Honestly…" Lucy huffed, "That strategy is completely insane…" She frowned, but then smiled softly, "But you know…he always manages to find the silver lining…"

Virgo smiled mischievously, "You did share a naked embrace with him, after all. Not that I'm especially surprised."

Lucy blushed furiously, "Th-that was just an accident! I swear, it was just-"

"Of course, of course." Virgo laughed.

She reddened further, now certain that the spirit was playing her for a fool, but before she could retort, something out of place caught the girl's attention from the corner of her eye.

Lucy walked over and picked up a small book, staring at it for a moment before her eyes widened. She gasped at the object in question, "This…! This is my journal…but why here? Unless…This must be the journal my future self kept!"

**/**

Atlas Flame was pressing Natsu and the Take Over Siblings.

"Soul Extinction!" Mira shouted and fired a blast of deep dark energy at the burning dragon.

Elfman glowed as he transformed, "Take Over: Beast Soul!" He bellowed and punched at Atlas fiercely, "Lizardman!" But the spiked fists he used to attack were burned by the flames.

"Tigress Slash!" Lisanna hissed as she darted by Atlas Flame and swiped him with her sharp claws. But sharp or not, her attack did virtually nothing.

"Fire Dragon's…" Natsu sucked in a breath, then let it loose, "Roar!"

The burning breath crashed into Atlas Flame, and while he was not burned, the sheer force of the attack was enough to make him snarl in rage, **"Futile, futile! Your flames cannot best my Hellfires!"**

Natsu swore, "Dammit!"

Mira tch'd, "Even though Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic is doing damage, this guy isn't weakening fast enough."

"I guess fire isn't a good match against a dragon made of flames, is it?" Lisanna said sympathetically.

Natsu blinked, then turned to stare at her.

Lisanna tilted her head, "What?"

"If we weren't fighting a dragon, I could kiss you for saying that." he gasped.

Now she blushed, "For saying what?"

"Happy!" Natsu shouted without answering her, using the blue exceed's flight to get above Atlas Flame.

Happy gulped, "Natsu, what can you do from here?"

"Drop me." he growled.

The blue exceed did a double take, "You want me to drop you on the dragon?!"

"The _fire _dragon." Natsu reminded him.

It clicked immediately. Happy grinned and let his partner go, "Aye, sir!"

Natsu landed on Atlas Flame's head, making the dragon growl, **"What do you think you're doing?!"**

"If ya haven't heard already, my name is Natsu!" he declared, then grinned, "And now…I'm gonna eat you!"

With that, he started to devour the incarnate dragon alive.

Lisanna gaped at him, "Wha- THAT'S your plan?!"

Despite the situation, Mira laughed, "That sounds like Natsu, all right!"

Elfman grinned uncertainly, "Is he crazy…?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy said cheerfully.

Atlas Flame meanwhile, was furious, **"Eat me? You DARE mock me!?"**

Natsu chewed on the flames as he replied, "I said I would, so I will. You're pretty tasty, actually."

The dragon was livid, **"GET OFF ME!"**

Atlas Flame began to slam his head into buildings and thrash around in an effort to dislodge the Salamander from his head, but Natsu clung on and kept devouring the fires. The Dragon Slayer protested, "I don't wanna!"

Elfman winced as Natsu was rammed and dragged on the street, "Oi, oi, that looks like it hurts a lot…"

"Natsu, enough!" Mira shouted, "It won't work! You can't eat a whole dragon! It'll kill you before you even get close!"

He yelled back as the dragon started shaking its head furiously from side to side, "I've- got him- right- where I- want him!"

Elfman sweated, "Right where you want him…he says…"

Atlas Flame roared, **"Enough of this foolishness, you imbecile! Do not enrage me even further!"**

Lisanna bit her lip. The dragon was really starting to beat Natsu around. She wasn't going to watch for much longer, not if her lack of action got him killed.

Atlas Flame was raging, but as Natsu clung to him and devoured his fires, the dragon felt a sensation that was oddly…familiar…

Then it clicked.

**_This aura…_**

**_No…it's impossible…_**

**_This child…it cannot be, but…this is definitely…Yes, the same as…_**

**_Flame Dragon King Igneel._**

Atlas Flame stopped his rampage and stood dead still, lifting his head up from the street.

Elfman tensed, "Now what?"

**"Little one…" **the dragon said, more curious than angry now, **"You…what exactly…is your connection to Igneel?"**

That got Natsu's attention, "Igneel? You…know Igneel?!"

Atlas Flame nodded, **"The Flame Dragon King…Is a dear friend…"**

Mira gasped, "What?! Really?!"

"Igneel is…this dragon's friend?" Lisanna whispered, "I didn't know he was so important among the dragons…The Flame Dragon King…"

Natsu smiled down at Atlas Flame, "I see…Igneel's my dad…"

**"Is that so?" **the dragon remarked, **"Well…" **He turned his gaze skyward, where Motherglare was still raining down more of her dragon spawn, and stayed silent for a time.

Natsu blinked, "Hey, what's up?"

Lisanna called up to them, "Is everything alright?"

Atlas Flame looked down at her, then leaned down to sniff the girl. He snorted with slight surprise, **"Little one, your aura is also reminiscent of the Flame Dragon King's…though it is much fainter…" **The dragon spoke to Natsu again, **"Is this female your mate, son of Igneel?"**

Natsu nodded, "Yes, she is…"

**"…" **Atlas Flame remained quiet for a bit, then murmured with surprising softness for a dragon, **"Family of Igneel…are family of mine…I shall…lend you my power…"**

**/**

Reyos watched the destruction with a smug satisfaction, "Superb…So, this is the power of dragons…" He clenched a fist, "With this, we can conquer even Acnologia…" The man spread his arms out before the eclipse and chanted,

_"Foolish humans, await your deaths…_

_The earth shall crumble…_

_The skies shall burn…_

_The flames of light will be extinguished…_

_For I am the Dragon King, the emperor born from the Dragon King Festival…_

_Now the shadow will become the light. A new, absolute light that will guide the world!"_

"We don't need such a dirty light!" a voice shouted.

Reyos paused and glanced behind him with a smirk, "That'll be Natsu, then…?!" His expression quickly became one of utter shock.

Natsu was flying up, but it was not Happy carrying him. Below the Salamander, Atlas Flame roared in rage.

"The light we follow…comes from within our hearts!" Natsu roared, "It's not something you can see!"

Then Atlas Flame crashed head on into Motherglare, making the air shake from the titanic force.

Reyos was dumbfounded, "What the hell is Natsu doing riding a dragon? Have you betrayed me, Atlas Flame?!"

**"I feel…from the bottom of my heart…" **Atlas Flame hissed, **"The son of Igneel…is the son of a dear friend…"**

Reyos tch'd, "However you did it, I can still kill the both of you. It won't set back my plans."

"But they're not alone!"

The man atop Motherglare paled and spun around, his one eye going wide when Sting punched him in the face and sent him flying down the dragon's back.

Reyos came to a stop and spat, "Eucliffe…you have interfered with me for the last time!"

"Let's end this, you bastard!" Sting snarled a challenge.

Atlas Flame rumbled with amusement, **"Son of Igneel, your nest-sibling's ferocity could rival that of a real dragon's."**

"Yeah, he gets that way when he's pissed off." Natsu glared at Reyos as he muttered, "I'm counting on you, uncle."

**"Uncle…?" **the dragon pondered.

Sting activated his White Drive and yelled, "Let's go, Natsu!"

"Yeah!" Natsu shouted, "Atlas, circle 'em!"

Atlas Flame lunged and sank his burning teeth into Motherglare's shoulder, then tried to use his grip to get above and behind the other dragon.

Reyos gritted his teeth, "Motherglare, don't let them get behind us!"

The huge dragon inhaled deeply, then fired an enormous breath attack that roared over the city and devastated the mountains further away.

Even though the breath tore through Atlas Flame, the burning dragon was unaffected and growled, **"Against my body of flame, your mere breath is futile."**

Motherglare hissed back, **"Your flames cannot penetrate my adamantine body either!**"

**"You would be mistaken to take my Hellfires lightly."** Atlas warned, **"Flames of titans that bellow more violently than those in hell, and the one that has ingested these flames…is my fellow fire dragon."**

Natsu leaped off of Atlas, his body covered in fire and crimson dragon scales.

Reyos froze. _He consumed Atlas Flame's fire?!_

"Sting!" Natsu shouted as he clenched his right fist.

"Right!" Sting roared and brought back his left.

Reyos went into his White Shadow Dragon Mode, bracing himself to intercept the brother's attack.

The three attacks collided and violently exploded, making both Motherglare and Atlas Flame stagger in midair from the dangerous levels of Dragon Slaying Magic.

**/**

In the city below, Toma, the King, watched the battle in the sky his soldiers muttering nervously around him.

"A once blooming city of flowers, now overflowing with chaos and stained with blood…" Toma murmured, "This is truly the festival of humans and dragons. Men fighting men…dragons fighting dragons…and men fighting dragons…This really is nothing more than an ancient disaster we once called the Dragon King's Festival."

Toma fell to his knees as the true realization of what he was facing came upon him, "This cannot be stopped now…Nothing…will ever be the same again…"

**/**

Ultear stared up at the two dragons warring overhead, watched the three men atop Motherglare fight in their life or death struggle. Her eyes narrowed, "Reyos."

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"Sting, hang in there!" Ultear urged as she tried to treat his wounds._

_The White Dragon tried to get up, but Meredy protested, "You're too hurt to move yet!"_

_"No…L-Layla was…" _

_To the two women's shock, Sting looked like he was about to break down crying, "Ugh…dammit…"_

_Ultear swallowed and tried to keep her voice even, "Who was that just now?"_

_Sting was silent for a moment, then got his emotions under control and sighed, "He said he was Reyos. From seven years in the future."_

_Ultear's eyes narrowed, "So, there was another person from the future…"_

_"What did he want?" Meredy asked._

_"Who cares." Sting growled._

_Meredy frowned, "Is he an enemy?"_

_Sting stiffened, "He killed Layla…He's MY enemy."_

_Ultear looked thoughtful, "I know Reyos was a member of the Reborn Oracion Seis, but…he's become quite a mage over the last seven years. Fortunately…there's a weakness we can exploit. The present Reyos, in order to gain the body his future self has created, would have had to somehow get a boost from an identical source of Dragon Slayer magic."_

_"Meaning what?" Meredy asked._

_"Reyos was originally Rogue's shadow, his gift from Skyadrum." Ultear explained, "His present self is strong, but he cannot take a physical form because he doesn't have enough magic power. You could say he's…incomplete. At the moment, he's pure Dragon Magic, but he needs another source of power to achieve a real body. Theoretically, if he killed Rogue and stole the Dragon Slayer lacrima from him…"_

_Meredy gulped, "He could gain a real body."_

_Ultear nodded, "Exactly. But right now, his present self doesn't have that body because Rogue is still alive. If we were to kill Rogue, then Future Reyos's body would never have been formed, and he would cease to exist."_

_"Forget it." Sting growled, "I'm going to destroy Reyos."_

_Ultear stared at him, "Don't let your rage consume you-"_

_"It's not that." he interrupted, "Reyos isn't Rogue. Even if you kill him, nothing will change. And Rogue hasn't done anything wrong. If we kill him, then we'll just go astray like Reyos has."_

_The Time Mage judged him for a while, then nodded, "Well said…you have my word. I won't lay a finger on Rogue."_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Ultear gazed over the devastated city, then focused on where she could see Rogue attacking the Water Dragon again. She shook her head, "There's not a choice anymore…Reyos is the sole trigger of everything that's happening. In other words, if he didn't exist, the gates would never have opened and the dragons would not have arrived."

Her eyes narrowed and a dark look came upon her as she stared across the city at the Shadow Dragon Slayer with lethal intent, "To return everything back to the way it was…killing Rogue is our best chance."


	61. Sin and Sacrifice

**As promised, here's another chapter! The next one will come out in two or three days. I don't have much else to say, so as always, please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 61: Sin and Sacrifice_

Erza and Jellal stared Milianna down as her face became contorted in anger.

The cat woman hissed, "Jellal…"

"Milianna, wait!" Erza gasped.

Jellal put a hand on the injured woman's shoulder, "It's okay, Erza."

"No it's not!" Erza protested, "Milianna, I've already forgiven Jellal."

Milianna looked furious, "Why are you covering for him?! He killed Simon! He held us captive in the Tower of Heaven! I can't forgive him! I won't! I'm going to kill Jellal!"

"Even if you do that, it won't change anything!" Erza shot back, "What do you get out of killing him, Milianna?!"

"What, do you want me to just let it all go?! Bullshit!" Milianna snarled.

"Indeed…that is wrong."

Milianna spun around, while Erza and Jellal stared as Ultear came up behind them.

"To begin with, your hatred of Jellal has always been misdirected." Ultear said easily, "I'm the woman who controlled the Tower of Heaven from the shadows, and as an extension of that, Jellal."

Jellal's eyes widened, "Not another word, Ultear!"

"That's just who I am." the woman said with a dark expression. She remained serious for a moment, then chuckled, "It was hopeless after all…me pretending to be on the side of justice…I'm definitely…rotten to the core…"

Erza stared at her, "What happened?"

Ultear shrugged, "Nothing really…More importantly, we don't have time to be fooling around like this. Those smaller dragon offspring are more lethal than they first appear…"

She turned and started walking away, then glanced at Milianna, "One more thing, kitty…The person who murdered your friend Simon…was me. I was also the one responsible for having the tower built. If you survive this, I'll take whatever hatred is simmering within you…"

Milianna bristled in disbelief.

And Ultear walked away, leaving the three mages stunned and uneasy.

**/**

In the shadow of a building nearby, Kagura hesitated with unsheathing Archenemy, then let the blade fall back into place. There was no time for vengeance.

**/**

Ultear walked through the ruined city, her eyes hidden beneath her dark hair. _If the world is to return to normal, Rogue must die…It's the only way…_

But even as she thought that, Ultear remembered how Sting had told her that it wasn't the answer. At a loss, the Time mage fell to her knees.

**/**

Wendy panted for breath as Zilconis finally landed and put a stop to the aerial assault. That said, the Emerald Dragon was far from finished. He was getting exasperated with the Sky Sorceress.

Zilconis snarled, **"You're a fast little human, but I WILL catch you eventually! You won't escape!"**

"You're right…" Wendy gasped, but glared at him, "Because I'm going to defeat you!"

**"INSOLENT LITTLE-" **Zilconis bellowed with real anger.

Yukino fell to her knees, completely out of breath, "What should we do…he's not tired at all…"

"This is bad…" Charle gasped.

Lily nodded, his chest heaving, "I don't think I can hold my battle form much longer…"

Zilconis roared, **"I'm eating you all! Right now! Get ready to die!"**

The Emerald Dragon dove down, mouth agape to engulf them, but then a bolt of lightning shot by, followed by Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen, who picked up the people in the line of fire and moved them.

Wendy squealed as Laxus dragged her away from Zilconis's jaws, "L-Laxus!"

"Nice job kid." he grunted, "Now let me handle them."

She was relieved at first, then froze, "Wait…them?"

Laxus looked uneasy, "Yeah, I sort of…"

As Zilconis whipped around to snap at them again, the huge, dark dragon with no front legs crashed into him, screeching in indignation.

"…brought another one with me." Laxus finished.

Wendy almost shrieked, "You're kidding me!?"

Zilconis got up and snarled at the other dragon, **"Watch it, Darkbreeze! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"**

**"That brat was trying to electrocute me!" **Darkbreeze roared in fury,** "I'm gonna dismember the little bastard!"**

"Friendly, aren't they?" Lily muttered.

If Charle could paled, she would've been transparent, "You've got to be joking! Can it get any worse?! Now we've got to deal with _two _of these things?!"

Yukino gulped, "This…isn't good…"

Laxus tch'd, "The more the merrier…I guess."

Wendy recovered from her initial shock and tried to look brave, "I-I'll support you…Try and take them out quickly."

"Easier said than done." Laxus grunted, "But oh well, what the hell, I say! Freed! Bixlow! Evergreen! Get the others away from here! This isn't going to be pretty!"

While the Thunder God Tribe scrambled to obey their leader's orders, Laxus and Wendy faced off against Zilconis and Darkbreeze, who were now snarling down at the two Dragon Slayers with hatred.

**/**

Cobra grinned at the Rock Dragon, "Is that all you've got, you pile of rubble? Your scales are tough, I'll give you that, but you haven't made a serious hit yet. Not even close."

The Rock Dragon chuckled, **"You are unwise to underestimate me. There is more to my rock body than simply being durable…"**

Suddenly, the dragon lunged downward and disappeared into the earth with a loud drilling sound.

Cobra sneered, "So now you can dig holes. Doesn't matter. I can hear you…?!"

The Poison Dragon Slayer froze. He could feel and hear vibrations all over, but it was too widespread. _I get it. He's spreading out the noise underground so I can't tell exactly where he'll come out. But if I focus on the loudest spot just before he-_

**"GRAAAHHH!" **the Rock Dragon bellowed as it erupted from the earth and lashed out, catching Cobra in the side with its tail.

Cobra screeched in pain and crashed into a building, then fell to the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath, then glared back up at the Rock Dragon.

The beast chuckled again, **"I believe that's a serious hit? I told you it was unwise to underestimate I, Gorelogia. You are the one who will fall, Poison Dragon Slayer."**

But Cobra grinned back, "Well, you might be tougher than I thought. Bring it on, you damn rock mountain!"

**/**

Rogue faced off against the Water Dragon, who was snickering down at him, **"Give up, Shadow Dragon Slayer. You cannot defeat a dragon."**

Rogue glared up at him, but said nothing. _My fight against the Garou Knights was tiring enough…and now this…I'm almost at my limit…_

"What are you spacing out for?!"

He glanced behind him as the dragon with a bladed nose crashed through a building with a screech rage. Gajeel had slammed its jaw with an iron pillar, making it topple to the ground.

Rogue stared at him in surprise, "You won already?"

Gajeel grunted, "Nah. Just tripped him. This guy's real pissed off."

As if to prove this, the dragon got up and spun, making Gajeel leap away as its nose tore the nearby street apart for nearly three blocks.

Rogue paled, "You've hardly damaged it at all!"

"Gee-heehehe!" Gajeel cackled.

"You think this is funny?!" Rogue hissed.

Gajeel grinned, "Oh, lay off. Whatever happens, we're the most powerful team, right? We're the Dark Dragons!"

The Water Dragon growled, **"Scissor Runner, what do you think you're doing, letting a human get the better of you like that? Are you even trying?"**

Scissor Runner snarled, **"He got lucky, Revire! Anyways, I'm going to shred every single one of these humans!"**

His younger brother stared at him as Black Steel bared his fangs fiendishly, "Let's give 'em a taste of what real terror looks like."

Rogue bared his canines in a similar, dark smile, "Alright, Gajeel. You're on."

The brothers stood back to back, grinning confidently. _We are the deepest dark, that which makes even dragons tremble in fear!_

**/**

Ultear was just sitting, frozen on the destroyed street while battle raged around her. _Back then, I…I froze…But that's not the problem…I was about to kill…an innocent human being! Without even a second thought…I was prepared to erase a person's life…_

She stared at her hands, which were trembling in shock. _After everything I've been through…Even after I reconciled with my mother…I still haven't changed…My sins cannot be wiped away so easily…_

**/**

Sting and Natsu were still clashing with Reyos atop Motherglare, while she and Atlas Flame screeched and roared their fury at each other.

"White Dragon's Roar!" Sting shouted and tried to blast Reyos with the laser breath, but the man turned into shadow and evaded him easily.

Natsu lunged for the shadow with a burning fist, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He struck down, and although Reyos still dodged, the blow made Motherglare screech in pain.

Natsu glanced around wildly, "Where is he?!"

"Behind you!" Sting yelled the warning, but it was too late.

Reyos reappeared and kicked Natsu in the back of the head, making him gasp, but Sting managed to grab his brother's hand and drag him back onto Motherglare before he could fall off.

"Thanks." Natsu muttered, "Let's get him together this time."

Reyos sneered, "I'd like to see you two try…I admit, I was hoping Natsu would stay in Edolas. I went to great lengths to make you go there."

Sting froze, "You what?!"

"You thought it was an accident, didn't you?" Reyos chuckled, "Let me tell you something. The Anima was created to home in on Dragon Slayer Magic. But as you know, it cannot absorb a Dragon Slayer unless someone else makes that Dragon Slayer enter the portal."

"What are you saying?" Natsu growled.

Reyos gave them a grin of fiendish delight, "You were not sent to Edolas by accident. I forced him to go there myself."

Natsu and Sting's eyes got huge with shock and disbelief.

"I knew that Natsu was one of the stronger Dragon Slayers nine years ago." Reyos explained, "Shortly after I parted from Rogue, I tailed the both of you…learned your strengths…weaknesses…and chose a certain moment when the Anima had finally locked onto Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic…That was when I sent him to Edolas, so he would not be able to interfere with the Dragon King Festival!"

Sting's eyes went from shock to fury. He was hardly able to speak, so strong was the rage pouring through him, "You bastard…It was you…"

"Hold on." Natsu said uncertainly, "I don't remember any of that."

Reyos grinned, "That was a fortunate coincidence for me, and to an extent, Sting as well. Natsu may not remember it, but because of him, Sting's life was spared…"

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Natsu's motionless body began to glow. Lisanna's eyes widened, "Wh-what is this…?" _

_She watched with growing fear as he was lifted a few inches off the ground by an invisible force. Panicking, Lisanna threw her arms around his neck, trying to keep him down, "No! Natsu, stay with me!" _

_Lisanna gasped when she saw that his body was starting to fade away into light. She screamed, "No! You promised! Don't die, Natsu! Please!" _

_Natsu's body faded so much it became intangible, and her arms slipped right through what little remained before he vanished completely. Lisanna stared at the spot where Natsu had been moments ago. She collapsed on her side and curled into a ball, crying until she couldn't breathe, "Natsu…"_

_As the Anima started pulling the Fire Dragon Slayer away, a shadow detached itself from Natsu. It snickered, "One down…Now for the White Dragon…"_

_Natsu opened his eyes weakly, his vision flickering. Then his eyes opened wide and he gasped, "Wh-what the…" _

_His body was being lifted by a strange force, and even stranger was the shadow he saw returning to earth. Natsu shouted after it, "What are you? What is this?"_

_The Shadow was surprised, "You've awoken…well…that might work in my favor. Observe Natsu Dragneel. To ensure you remain out of my way…I am going to kill your new mate right before your eyes."_

_Natsu froze as he saw the Shadow dive for the broken form of Lisanna below. He roared, "No!" _

_With what little strength he had left, Natsu lunged down, grabbing the Shadow with an iron grip. He was surprised it had tangible form, but his brief hesitation made the Shadow turn on him and strike back._

_Natsu choked as the blow to his chest did further damage to his already critically wounded body. The Shadow snarled, "Release me! Once I kill the girl, I'll use her body to get close to the White Dragon. He'll never expect her to slip a knife through his ribcage."_

_The Salamander had no idea who the Shadow was, but he knew that he was more angry than he'd ever been before. "Over my dead body!" he bellowed, then activated his Dragon Force while the Shadow tried to attack him again. _

_The Shadow had what appeared to be two glowing eyes and a fanged grin. It laughed at him, "Struggle all you want. It won't change anything. The girl will die. And your twin brother will soon follow."_

_"Like hell that'll happen!" Natsu snarled, "I don't know who you are and I don't care, but if you threaten them, I'll kill you first!"_

_"You're in my way." the Shadow sneered, then blasted him with dark energy and used the moment to lunge back down towards Lisanna's helpless form._

_Natsu roared, feeling pure rage course through him as he went after the Shadow, though he saw that they were still rising in the sky. He felt something in his power change and accelerated towards the Shadow._

_The Shadow decided to glance back triumphantly, having almost closed the distance to Lisanna. In mere moments, it would escape the pull of the Anima and be able to kill the girl. But glancing back was a mistake._

_The Shadow's gaze went from triumph to shock as it realized that Natsu's body was transforming. A wing had sprouted from his right shoulder blade, along with a horn and claws on his right side. A tail sprouted from his lower back. _

_Natsu's eyes, primeval with rage, were all the Shadow could look at. It was briefly frozen in terror, but its hesitation cost it dearly._

_The Salamander slashed with his right hand, tearing at the right eye of the Shadow with wicked claws._

_The Shadow howled in pain and created hands of darkness to cover its face, agony going through its incomplete body. He screeched at Natsu with hatred, "Damn you!"_

_Natsu's only reply was a furious roar and a deep breath to follow, "Fire Dragon's…"_

_The Shadow also inhaled, "Shadow Dragon's…"_

_"Roar!"_

_The burst of flame and shadow exploded violently in the Anima's magic pull, but the force of the blast ejected the Shadow from the pull and forced Natsu further into its gravity._

_Natsu stared weakly at Lisanna's shrinking figure and tried to reach for her, but he was too badly wounded and passed out._

_The Shadow crashed to the ground and remained unmoving for a while. When it finally recovered, it croaked in helpless rage, "Damn you Natsu Dragneel…because of you…because of you my power…My power has all but left me…! I'm even more incomplete than I was before! I…don't even have the magic necessary to kill that brat you call your mate…"_

_It seethed in hatred and finally slipped away to who knows where, muttering to itself, "I will return…You are gone forever, but I will come back to become the Dragon King…I, Reyos…I will return…"_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Reyos shook his head in amusement, "Even though he took my right eye, I thought I had seen the last of Natsu Dragneel. Originally, my plan was to first eliminate him, then go around and destroy the other Dragon Slayers so no one could stop me when I became the Dragon King. But I underestimated how resourceful you Twin Dragons were…Even though Natsu had no recollection of me, he met Pantherlily and Sting met Mystogan. Through fate, he was able to come back back…."

Natsu was hardly able to contain his rage. His irises were reduced to slits as he breathed out in fury, _"It was you…You put our family through that hell…for two years…"_

Reyos sneered, "That's right. Get the picture? I've been preparing for this moment for a long time, Twin Dragons. This isn't a recent development."

"That's it." Sting hissed, "You're never going to terrorize our families again. Give up now, and maybe we won't destroy you."

"Give up?" Reyos laughed, "When I'm so close? You don't seem to have grasped the situation, Sting Eucliffe. I have no intention of giving up."

Sting growled, "Let's end this!"

Natsu bared his fangs, "He's toast."

"You fools." Reyos sneered, "You're just walking to your deaths."

Suddenly, Reyos transformed into a spiraling mixture of shadows and light, then shot after the brothers with a laugh, "White Shadow Dragon's Horn Blade!"

Sting and Natsu roared in pain when the attack slashed viciously at their midsections, leaving them with deep wounds. Blood splattered on Motherglare's back as the twin brothers fell to their knees, gasping in pain.

Atlas Flame roared in fury, **"Bastard!" **

Reyos materialized and grinned, "Truly pathetic. You cannot defeat me, even with Atlas Flame on your side. I am the strongest Dragon Slayer, and I still have six dragons at my command."

Sting gritted his teeth in pain, glaring at the man with rage in his eyes. _Dammit…I..I didn't want to resort to this…but…Sorry Lucy..._

He swallowed and looked down, recalling their conversation and desperately thinking for any other solution.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"Reyos's Dragon Lacrima is the same as your's?" Lucy asked._

_Sting nodded, "Yeah…that's why he can use the White Shadow Dragon Mode."_

_Lector smiled hopefully, "So, since his Lacrima is the same as your's, if they link, then you can take away his White Shadow Dragon Magic?!"_

_"That's the idea." Sting confirmed._

_Lucy looked up at Motherglare, "If we can cripple him like that, then maybe he'll also lose control of those dragons…" Her gaze fell back down to Sting, this time with concern, "But what about you? Will linking the White Dragon Slayer Lacrimas hurt you?"_

_He crossed his arms, "Maybe…I don't think so, though."_

_"It's worth a try!" Lector urged, "If we can beat Reyos, maybe the dragons will calm down and stop destroying everything."_

_Lucy sighed, "I hope so…"_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Sting squeezed his eyes shut. _It's true insofar that I can link the Lacrimas and take away Reyos's power, but…the fusion of magic is more than likely to kill the both of us in the process. I wanted to beat him with Natsu, but now it looks like…I don't have another option._

He stood up and glared at Reyos. _Sorry I lied to you, Lucy. This is the only way I can keep you and everyone else safe…_

Sting lunged at Reyos, who awaited him with a smirk. Natsu shouted behind him, "Sting, hold on!"

Reyos grinned and also lunged, avoiding Sting's attempt to grab him before reaching up with his own hand to strike the White Dragon's throat. Sting coughed from the force of the blow, then grunted in pain as Reyos tripped him with a kick to the knee and slammed his head into Motherglare's adamantine scales.

Sting forced himself to ignore the pain and grabbed Reyos's arm, baring his fangs with a hiss, "Try and kill me, Reyos. I'll drag you down with me."

"My Lacrima?" Reyos sneered, "Is that what you were aiming for? Linking the Dragon Lacrimas to finish us both off? Did you seriously think I didn't expect that?"

The White Dragon froze, "Wh-what?"

Reyos picked him up and threw him aside with a laugh, "You're a fool. I came from the future, remember? I know more than you could possibly imagine. For instance…you killed your dragon parent, Vicelogia."

Sting's eyes widened, "Where did you hear that?!"

"Oops, slip of the tongue." Reyos chuckled, "Well, you're about to die anyways, so…I'll tell you something. You are not the only Dragon Slayer who killed his dragon parent. Rogue also killed his dragon."

Shocked expressions found their way onto Sting and Natsu's faces. Reyos continued with a sadistic grin, "Yes…Skyadrum taught Rogue, and gave his shadow its own life. I was that shadow, and for a time, I obeyed Rogue simply because I feared Skyadrum's anger. But…she underestimated me. At one point, that dragon fell ill, and I seized the chance to take over her mind. With Skyadrum's body, I attempted to kill Rogue."

The man shook his head with a sigh, "But I in turn, underestimated that Shadow Dragon. Even though I had control of her, she still managed to hold me back just enough so that Rogue was still able to kill her. Afterwards, I rejoined Rogue, and he was none the wiser that I had caused Skyadrum's maddened attack."

Sting looked even more furious if that was possible, spitting in anger, "That was your fault too?! But…then how did you find out I killed Vicelogia-"

"Because Skyadrum was Vicelogia's mate." Reyos sneered, "I knew he would go insane, and shortly after Rogue met you, I could sense you too had killed a dragon. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. I know you killed Vicelogia because losing Skyadrum made him shatter."

Natsu was speechless, but Sting was no longer able to suppress his fury. White scales covered his body, followed by a snarl of rage, _"I killed my father because of you!"_

The Twin Dragon's each sparked with white flame and lightning flame respectively, then took a deep breath. Reyos mirrored them with a dark glee.

_"Whitefire Dragon's…"_

_"Lightning Flame Dragon's…"_

_"White Shadow Dragon's…"_

**_"ROAAAAR!"_**

The three fusion breaths collided and flashed for a brief moment, then-

The blast was violent and enormous, creating what looked like a small sun that exploded over the city. The shockwave devastated buildings close by and sent both people and the small dragons on the ground flying with yelps and screams.

Atlas Flame was hit with the shockwave and growled in pain and surprise, retreating a ways to avoid further damage, **"These kids are just…"**

Motherglare, who was at the epicenter of the blast, shrieked in pain, but kept flying nonetheless. Atlas dove down and started wrestling with her in the air again.

Sting and Natsu came out of the smoke panting and exhausted. The White Dragon snarled, "Bastard…"

Reyos grinned with fiendish delight, "Skyadrum and Vicelogia were the first blood that was spilled on my hands, and they certainly won't be the last."

**/**

At the remains of Bar Sun, Gray, Lyon, and Juvia were fighting back to back agains the smaller dragons when Meredy showed up.

Gray eyed her warily, "Are you okay?"

"Have you seen Ultear?" Meredy panted, "We got separated…And then I haven't seen Zancrow either..."

Juvia shook her head, "Juvia doesn't think so-"

"Hey, LOOK OUT!"

Gray jumped forward and pushed them down as one of the smaller dragons fired a beam of energy at the girls.

Lyon froze the small dragon quickly and whipped back towards them, "Don't lose your focus! This is a war zone!"

"Sorry…" Meredy muttered, while Juvia was more preoccupied with mooning over the fact that Gray had saved them.

The Ice mage glanced at the Rain Woman and sighed, "Hey, Juvia…I need to tell you something."

Juvia was immediately at attention, clearly expecting some fantasy in her head to start. She stammered, "Wh-what is it?!"

Gray shrugged, "Well…it's nothing important, but…"

"It could be important to Juvia!" the Rain Woman urged.

Meredy giggled as she watched. _She's definitely misinterpreting where he's going with this conversation._

But this wasn't the time to be focused on a conversation. Lyon caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye and shouted a warning too late, "Juvia!"

Juvia spun in surprise to see a small dragon charging a breath attack in its jaws, but the instant the monster struck, Gray shoved her aside. The energy beam tore right through the Ice Mage's chest.

Gray coughed up blood while his comrades stared at him in horrified shock.

Suddenly, more of the small dragons appeared and fired several more energy rays at the wounded Ice Mage. They delivered multiple hits that left holes in Gray's body as he struggled to recover, but any and every one of the attacks could have been a lethal blow.

Juvia watched in horror as one of the beams struck Gray through the head.

_"GRAAAAAAAAAAY!" _

**/**

Ultear looked up at the sky with tears in her eyes, sensing Gray's life come to a close. _I don't…have the right to live…_


	62. Live Today to the Fullest

**This chapter concludes the battle! I think three more chapters and I'll move on to the sequel, but we'll see. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 62: Live Today to the Fullest_

Above Crocas, the Eclipse had reached it's peak. But in the city below, things were going badly for the humans. The dragons were gaining the upper hand. Some lives were already over or ending.

**/**

Bacchus roared in pain as one of the small dragons slashed his chest open, spilling red onto its claws. His comrades nearby watched in horror as he destroyed the dragon, then collapsed, choking on his own blood.

**/**

Jet had Droy's lifeless form in his arms, desperately calling for help as Sabertooth struggled against the dragon ambush that had already resulted in other casualties. Rustyrose lay nearby, his life bleeding out while Orga fought like a cornered beast against a mass of the small dragons, but his body was covered in deep wounds.

**/**

Cobra was forced back as Gorelogia exploded from the ground and lashed out with a snap of its jaws, making him skid to a stop and crouch, trembling and gasping.

Kinana, Ur, and Laki showed up as he staggered to his feet. The women were shocked by how terribly wounded he was, but Cobra kept glaring at the dragon with stubborn anger in his eyes.

"Erik!" Kinana shrieked and ran to the injured Dragon Slayer.

Cobra looked at her with slight irritation, but only because his fight wasn't going well, "What?"

"Stop! You have to stop! You're hurt too badly!" she cried.

Laki nodded, her eyes wide with fear, "Fall back. If you keep this up, you'll just die faster."

Cobra shrugged them off, "Forget it. I'm the only one that can fight this bastard." He glanced at Ur, "Hey, you're an Ice Mage, right? Freeze my arm up so I stop bleeding. I have to get that damned reptile back."

Ur's eyes narrowed, "Cobra…"

"Just do it." he grunted, "I can't waste time."

Kinana shook her head and threw her arms around him, "No! You can't fight anymore! Erik, your…" She sobbed, "Your arm's _gone!"_

Cobra bared his fangs and almost collapsed from the loss of blood which poured from his wound, but he swore in fury, "Goddammit…"

**/**

Gajeel and Rogue glared at Scissor Runner and Revire, who still had enough fight in them to look down on the Dark Dragons.

Scissor Runner growled, **"I'll shred the both of these runts!"**

**"I don't mind if you take out the older pest."** Revire started, **"But don't kill Rogue too much. We want his Dragon Lacrima."**

Gajeel snorted, "These bastards talk like they've already won."

Rogue was shaking and gasping for air, "Maybe they have…I'm almost out of magic here…"

"Don't throw in the towel yet, little brother." Gajeel growled, "Not while we've still got fight."

"Gajeel!"

The brothers and dragons looked towards the voice as Levy walked out from an alley, calling for her friend, "Gajeel! Where are you-!"

She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Gajeel and Rogue pinned down by the two huge dragons.

Scissor Runner snarled, **"Another brat?"**

**"This one isn't a Dragon Slayer."** Revire muttered, then snorted, **"You can eat her if you want. I have no appetite for humans."**

The Pincer Dragon licked its lips, **"With pleasure!"**

"No you don't!" Rogue hissed, but Revire blocked his and Gajeel's path.

Gajeel roared, "Shrimp, run!"

But Levy was frozen in fear by the huge dragon gazing down at her with predatory eyes. By the time Gajeel's warning registered, she only stumbled a few steps to the side when Scissor Runner slashed at her with his claws.

For the dragon, it was just a glancing blow, but the edge of Scissor Runner's claws made a huge gash on the right side of Levy's face.

_"LEVY!" _Gajeel screamed.

The girl collapsed, but before Scissor Runner could lean down to snap her up, Gajeel slammed an iron pillar into the Pincer Dragon's head, making it stagger and fall over with a shriek.

Revire growled as Rogue attacked the Water Dragon with a renewed energy, screeching in fury.

Gajeel rushed to the little bluenette, who looked even smaller now. He cradled the girl in his arms and shook her, "Levy, get up! Wake up!"

But Levy was motionless in Gajeel's embrace. Streams of blood ran down the side of her once pretty face, with no sign that she was still breathing. He shook her again, "Dammit, Levy! Wake the hell up!" He spun around and screeched, "Rogue, get Wendy, now!"

Rogue bolted over and stared at the girl, then looked away. Tears were already stinging his eyes as he muttered, "Gajeel…Gajeel, you can't help her…She's dead."

Gajeel held her close to his chest and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in Levy's scent. He bit his lip until it bled and felt something wet trickle down from his eyes. The weakest sound he'd ever heard slipped out of his mouth in a whisper, _"No..."_

**/**

Lyon was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Chelia! Where are you?!"

Meredy stared in horror at Gray's unmoving form from a distance, while Juvia had collapsed in tears beside him. He was covered in blood and clearly beyond anyone's help, but Lyon kept yelling anyways.

"Chelia! You have to help Gray…!" Lyon gave up and started crying, covering his face with a hand as he sobbed, "It went…right through his skull…"

**/**

Ultear could feel lives ending around her like candles fading from a strong wind. She gazed up at the Eclipse in silence. _I've lived a cursed life…deceiving and mocking people, and doing whatever I want with their lives like playthings…But Gray…you gave me another chance at this life…you convinced me to reconcile with Ur, and eventually I joined Crime Sorciere to make up for my atrocities, but…I still haven't changed..._

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Ultear was reading a book on magic, one of many on an elaborate table._

_"That's quite the collection you've got there." a voice rumbled._

_Ultear gasped and spun around, dropping to one knee with a shaky voice, "M-Master Hades! I didn't know you were here!"_

_The old man laughed, "Not a problem…So how is your research on Arc of Time coming?"_

_"I've finally gotten a solid lead on it!" Ultear exclaimed and held up a book with a clock on the front. _

_Hades's eyes narrowed, "Last Ages, huh…I'm sorry, but you can never use that magic."_

_Ultear was taken aback, "What? But why?! This is the magic I've been searching for this whole time! I can use this to rewind time and make things go to the way they should!"_

_Hades shook his head, "Last Ages comes at a great cost to the user. In return for rewinding time, you sacrifice YOUR time."_

_The girl stared at him, "Sacrifice my time?"_

_"In other words, your life." Hades explained, "Whilst everything in the world will have its time rewound, your time will come to an end. Surely that's not what you wish for?"_

_Ultear pouted and looked down with a sigh, "No…it isn't…"_

_(FLASHBACK END)_

Ultear's face became determined as she made her decision. _But now…I do want it…If my life is what it costs to return the world back to its original form…then so be it!_

She held her hands out and charged all her power with a shout, "Arc of Time: Last Ages!"

The pain was immediate and excruciating as Ultear's veins almost burst, but she held on and kept using the spell. _I beg of you! Please return the world to how it was…or at the very least, before the gates were opened! Return it in exchange for my time!_

Around her, the earth seemed to shudder, then the spell ended.

Ultear glanced weakly towards the clock tower. _Did time…rewind-!_

To her shock, the clock hand had moved backward…but only by one minute.

_Just one minute?! That's all my life was worth? _Ultear collapsed, unable even to cry in frustration. _That's not even…I couldn't save anyone…_

**/**

Gray jumped forward and pushed Juvia and Meredy down as one of the smaller dragons fired a beam of energy at the girls.

Lyon froze the small dragon quickly and whipped back towards them, "Don't lose your focus! This is a war zone!"

"Sorry…" Meredy muttered, while Juvia was more preoccupied with mooning over the fact that Gray had saved them.

Suddenly, the four mages froze in place as a vivid image of Gray being killed ran through their minds. For a moment, they couldn't do anything from the shock.

Gray finally broke the silence, "I'm…going to die?!"

"Was that a dream?" Meredy asked slowly.

Juvia was staring at Gray, "Juvia saw it too…"

The Ice Mage shuddered, "What the hell…watching your doppelgänger bite the dust is creepy…"

Meredy spun around, "One of the small ones is supposed to come out of there and-!"

On cue, the small dragon jumped up with energy charging in its jaws.

Lyon shouted in shock, "It came out!"

He and Gray froze it immediately, then blasted the rest of the group that was about to ambush them.

Meredy was stunned, "What just happened?! Did someone warn us?"

Gray stared at the frozen dragon that had almost taken his life and whispered quietly, "Someone…"

**/**

"We're changing locations!" Orga bellowed, "It's not safe here!"

Jet led Droy and the rest of Sabertooth away, "Let's get out of here. I don't know who warned us, but this is too dangerous!"

**/**

_On that day, everyone in the world saw one minute into the future. However, like a dream, it would soon vanish from their memories. In fact, many were not even aware the phenomenon had occurred. But for the mages fighting with their lives on the line, that one minute changed everything…and became the catalyst for their counterattack!_

**/**

Bacchus slammed his palm into the small dragon that would have killed him and destroyed it with a rough laugh, "Not today, you little shit!"

**/**

Cobra paused as images of the future went through his head, then grinned like a predator, "There you are!"

He leaped aside as Gorelogia exploded out of the ground, then unleashed a poisonous fury on the huge beast, "Poison Dragon's Roar!" The Rock Dragon screeched in pain and hurtled into the side of a building, its body burning with poison.

The Rock Dragon grunted, **"How?! No one can predict where I burst from the earth!"**

"For once…I didn't hear you." Cobra said slowly, but kept grinning, "And to be honest, I don't care what just happened. You're gonna rot away, you rocky bastard!"

Kinana, Ur, and Laki rushed onto the scene, relaxing when they saw Cobra evade Gorelogia's strike and counterattack.

Kinana collapsed out of sheer relief, "Oh, thank goodness…"

Ur patted her shoulder, "He's fine. That Poison Dragon's tough."

"Well, I'm sure having both arms makes him that much tougher, huh?" Laki muttered.

**/**

Gajeel blinked the vision by and snarled, _"OH, HELL NO!"_

Before Revire and Scissor Runner even turned to Levy's voice as she called for Gajeel, the Iron Dragon's body flashed with shadows. Rogue became encased in red poison mist and snarled, "I don't know what just happened, but you are _not killing Levy!"_

_"Iron Shadow Dragon's…"_

_"Poison Shadow Dragon's…"_

**"ROAR!"**

Revire and Scissor Runner shrieked as they were lifted off their feet and sent crashing through buildings by the force of the combined fusion breaths. When they finally came to a stop, they were so stunned that the two dragons kept stumbling clumsily in an effort to get back up.

Rogue's jaw dropped, "What the- I could actually see their movements just now!"

Gajeel flew over to Levy in an instant and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, "Hey, I don't know what the hell just happened, but you're okay, right?!"

Levy nodded, "Um, yeah, I'm okay…what about you?"

Gajeel frowned, "Excuse me?"

"That vision I saw…you were crying, weren't you?" Levy murmured, sounding genuinely concerned.

Black Steel paled and immediately looked away with a huff, "I ain't a pansy!"

Levy giggled, then looked up at him with soft eyes, "Whatever you say…but it was very sweet of you to be so worried."

To which Gajeel's face, possibly for the first time, turned completely scarlet red.

Rogue grinned fiendishly and chuckled, "Kukuku…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, MAN!" Gajeel screeched.

**"Is it wise to turn your back on the enemy?!" **

The three glanced back as Revire got back up, shaken, but still capable of growling stiffly.

Scissor Runner screeched in fury, **"Stinking humans! Even after you're all dead, I'll slice you until nothing remains!"**

Gajeel tch'd, "Persistent bastards, aren't they?"

"Levy, you need to keep back." Rogue muttered as he activated his Shadow Drive, "You stand no chance against these things. Back up and leave them to us."

The girl nodded, "Okay…but here…let me do this first…"

Levy took out a pen and wrote the words, "IRON" and "SHADOW" out in midair, which the Dark Dragons immediately devoured.

Gajeel licked his lips after he finished and grinned, "After that meal, I'm all fired up!"

Rogue snorted, "If Natsu hears that, he'll kill you."

"I'd like to see him try." Gajeel sneered, "Now let's kill these bastards!"

The Dark Dragons rushed Revire and Scissor Runner, who snarled in response to the start of round two.

**/**

Wendy held out her hands, "Arms, Armor, Vernier! Okay, Laxus, go!"

"Oooh!" Laxus roared and lashed out with thunderbolts at Zilconis and Darkbreeze, who snarled in rage and tried to attack him. The Lightning Dragon Slayer turned into thunder and whipped around behind them with Wendy's enhancement spells, then attacked again with a shout, "Raging Bolt!"

Zilconis and Darkbreeze roared in pain, then spun back around and sucked in deep breaths.

Laxus dodged Zilconis's breath, but Darkbreeze let loose a torrent of black wind that slashed at his side. He grunted and retreated back to Wendy, where he crouched for a moment while she healed him.

Wendy was gritting her small fangs, "This isn't good…they're both so strong…"

"I know, but I'll just have to move faster next time." Laxus muttered, then got away from her when the dragons spun back around to attack him again. The Lightning Dragon tch'd. _These bastards aren't even giving me a moment to rest, let alone give Wendy a second to heal me. If they score a real hit…_

He shook the thought off and lunged at the dragons again, who hissed a challenge.

**/**

Freed glanced over to where Laxus and Wendy were fighting Zilconis and Darkbreeze, then shook his head, "We have to keep focused on the small ones."

Bixlow grabbed one of the dragon spawn and yanked its jaws open wide until he heard a cracking sound, then tossed the body away. He grunted, "These little shits are tough…"

"Hey!"

The Thunder God Tribe spun around as Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, Happy, and Frosch ran towards them from the city.

Mira looked towards Laxus and the dragons, then turned back to the Thunder God Tribe, "Did you guys also catch a glimpse of the future?"

Evergreen nodded, "So it wasn't just us…"

"It was weird, whatever it was." Elfman muttered.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch put in.

Lisanna looked up to the sky, where Atlas Flame and Motherglare were still fighting. She could see the figures of Natsu, Sting, and Reyos clashing atop the Adamantine Dragon, and frowned with worry.

"He's okay." Happy said, having guessed what the Take Over mage was thinking, "Natsu won't lose to that guy. Especially not with Sting there. They're called the Twin Dragon's for a reason!"

She nodded and offered an optimistic smile, "You're right. I shouldn't worry so much, especially with these little dragons running around. Let's stay safe until Natsu wins, okay?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

Nearby, Lily pointed his sword at any dragon spawn that came too close, but he spoke to Charle, "Was it you who let us see the future?"

Charle shook her head, "No, it wasn't…"

Lector's fur stood on end, "What was that about, anyways?!"

Arcadios glanced back at Hisui, "Princess…we need to retreat. Leave the dragons to the mages."

Yukino nodded, "We'll cover for you."

But Hisui shook her head, "No…please, let me see this through to the end…that's my responsibility…"

"Everyone!"

The people looked over as Lucy ran up with a journal in her hand, "You have to see this!"

She handed the journal to Yukino, who looked it over and frowned, "What is this?"

"It's my future notebook." Lucy explained.

Lector stared at her, "Future La-Lucy's?"

"Yeah." Lucy said but something unreadable flashed through her eyes as she continued, "Read this page."

She flipped the journal open to a page in the book, which Yukino read aloud, "Should the gates ever be destroyed in this time, the existence of I, in the future, should also cease to exist as a result of a chain reaction effect."

Arcadios stared at the book, "What does that mean?"

Lucy pointed at the Eclipse Gates, "In other words, if the gates are destroyed now, we can alter the future to one that is bound to that one event. If the gates don't function in the future, Reyos has no way of coming to the past."

Lily crossed his arms, "I see…If Reyos loses his means of traveling to the past, then we can rewrite the past…in theory."

Hisui looked skeptical, "Be that as it may…can it really stop something that has already happened?"

Happy was more optimistic, "If all goes well, then the dragons and Reyos should disappear, right?"

"It's worth a try." Charle agreed.

"But there's one major problem." Arcadios muttered and motioned to the gates, "We lack the means of destroying something this size."

Lucy and Yukino whipped out their gate keys, "We'll just smash it with all the magic we've got!"

The Take Over siblings and the Thunder God Tribe joined in, lashing at the gates with all their might.

Lucy shouted, "Taurus!"

Yukino mirrored, "Scorpio!"

The two spirits attacked with a Unison Raid, "Sandstorm Axe Aldebaran!"

"Evil Explosion!" Mira shouted.

"Beast Soul: Beast King!" Elfman roared and swung a massive fist.

Lisanna's body glowed as she used her Animal Soul: Tigress to lunge at the gates, "Tigress Slash!"

"Dark Ecriture: Absolute Shadow!" Freed shouted.

"Baryon Formation!" Bixlow yelled.

Evergreen unleashed countless needles of light, "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"

The attacks exploded violently on the gates, but as the smoke cleared, it revealed the Eclipse to be virtually unscathed.

Lucy paled, "No way!"

"Not even a scratch…?" Yukino gasped.

Arcadios gritted his teeth, "It's made out of a magic resistant alloy called Maginium. Destroying it is easier said than done I'm afraid…"

Lucy gulped, then glared at the gates with determination, "Even so…"

**/**

Atlas Flame roared as he slammed Motherglare through a tower in the city. The force of the strike made Sting, Natsu, and Reyos stagger in order to keep their balance on the Adamantine Dragon.

Reyos ducked as a wood beam sailed over his head.

Sting lunged at him with a shout, "Go back to your own time!"

The man grunted as Sting kicked him in the jaw, then skidded back further when Natsu punched him. Reyos came to a stop and grinned, "I have no such intention."

"So what'll happen to the Reyos in this time?" Natsu growled.

Reyos sneered, "You foolish Twin Dragons don't know anything, do you? We've already overlapped like shadows…I am Future Reyos and Present Reyos at the same time. We are _one._"

Sting stared at him in disbelief. _Which means…even if I fused my lacrima with his, he wouldn't go away. His present self would just take over and keep running riot…_

"I don't understand you…" Natsu hissed, "But we won't let you steal everyone's future!"

"As long as Acnologia exists, there is no future." Reyos murmured, then held out a hand and generated sharp beams of shadow and light, "Rejoice, for I have come to create the new future! White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!"

The Twin Dragons roared in pain and collapsed as the beams of light slashed at them and tore open several new wounds.

Reyos smirked down at them, "It's over…"

"Not by a long shot…" Natsu gasped and staggered to his feet.

Sting also got up and glared at him, "Why did you betray Rogue and Skyadrum…weren't you originally a part of Skyadrum?"

Reyos's mouth set in a line, "I…am not a tool to be used by an incompetent brat…I am my own person, even if I was once Skyadrum."

"That boy Skyadrum cared for…the one she asked you to help…" Natsu hissed, "He's in a world of danger now because of you."

"Rogue will die." Reyos murmured, "Either way…he falls in about a year, or so to Acnologia."

Sting was panting for breath, "You didn't help him…?!"

Reyos sneered, "Why would I? It was a lost cause. I won't throw my life aside for a brat destined to die. I'm not the man who helps children like I was before Skyadrum died."

"Bastard…" Natsu growled.

"You two are strangers to despair…" Reyos snarled, then lashed out with more beams of shadow and light, which the Twin Dragons quickly avoided. He roared in anger, "I've finally gotten my hands on a real purpose to live…yet you continue to stand in my way!"

White flames shimmered over him as Sting yelled furiously, "So your purpose is to throw the future into despair?!"

"Equality for everyone is a useless dream!" Reyos bellowed, "Grow up, you damn brats!"

Natsu's body crackled with Hellfire, "Even if that's true…we all have the right to choose our own future…"

"We should be able to walk the path we choose." Sting hissed, "Not the future you've decided for us!"

**"NATSU! STING!" **Atlas Flame roared as he rushed up behind them in the air with a massive, burning hand held out.

The Twin Dragons leaped back, landed on the hand, then lunged with blinding speed as Atlas threw them forward with all his might.

Sting bellowed, _"We don't need to know what's coming tomorrow…"_

_"So that we can live today to the fullest!" _Natsu roared.

They lashed out with their fists as one, unleashing white flame and hell flame in the shape of a roaring dragon's head, _"Twin Dragon's Glory Blaze!"_

On contact, the Unison Raid generated a titanic explosion midair that engulfed Atlas Flame, Motherglare, and the Dragon Slayers with a fusion of Whitefire and Hellfire.

Reyos screeched in agony as the attack took him in the chest, **_"GAAAAAAHHHH!"_**

**_"OOHHHHH!"_**the Twin Dragon's roared their fury.

**/**

At the Eclipse Gates, the mages weren't having much luck destroying the huge construct.

Lucy fell to one knee with a gasp, "That's what I call sturdy…"

"I didn't think it'd be this un-moo-veable…" Taurus muttered.

Something behind the gates caught Lisanna's attention, "Huh? Wait, isn't that…!"

Happy blanched, then screeched, "Get away! Get away from the gates!"

The mages scrambled and leaped away just in time as Motherglare crashed through the gates and slammed into the ground with tremendous force, creating a huge crater.

Sting and Natsu staggered to their feet atop the stunned dragon, glaring down at Reyos's unmoving form as they gasped for breath.

Lector bounced, "Sting! Natsu!"

"The gates broke!" Lucy gasped.


	63. Aftermath

**Okay, this chapter wraps up the battle of seven dragons and most of the stuff that follows it. Next chapter will be entirely on the banquet at Mercurious, then chapter 65 will end the Rising Dragon Champions. After that, I'll probably go back and change the format of the Lost Dragon Slayer so it's easier to read, then start the sequel to this one with my own arc! **

**As always, please review and thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 63: Aftermath_

Sting and Natsu stared down at Reyos, who was barely breathing with a massive burn mark covering his chest.

Arcadios was stunned, "Unbelievable…the Maginium alloy gates were…"

"What happens now?!" Hisui demanded.

Yukino gulped, "In theory…the gates shouldn't be usable in the future anymore, so Reyos has no means to come to the present."

Charle stared at the Eclipse Gate wreckage and whispered, "History will rewind…" _The vision I had of the two dragons clashing…does this mean it won't happen?_

She gasped as the vision of the two warring dragons flashed across her mind again, but froze when she saw the crimson dragon and white dragon turn to stare at her. They suddenly shrank and turned into Natsu and Sting.

Charle stared at them in shock for a second as they grinned, then melted away into light. Then the vision ended. For maybe the first time since they'd arrived in Crocas, Charle felt at peace.

_It's over…Natsu and Sting in the future I saw…they've returned to normal again. Destroying the gates has quelled their anger..._

Suddenly, Motherglare glowed.

Sting and Natsu stared as the dragon started to fade away before their eyes.

Behind them, Atlas Flame also shimmered with light. The Flame Dragon dipped his head in farewell and murmured, **"It appears I must return to my own time. Natsu…Sting…I shall never forget either of you…" **With that, Atlas shimmered and faded completely.

Natsu didn't look back and just murmured a response, "Thanks, uncle."

**/**

Zilconis and Darkbreeze were about to lunge at Laxus again when they started glowing.

The Emerald Dragon growled uneasily, **"What the hell is this?!"**

Laxus stared at them, "The dragons are…"

"Vanishing?!" Wendy gasped.

Darkbreeze snarled, **"No! I'm not finished yet! Not by some puny humans! Your kind is worthless!"**

Zilconis roared an agreement and slammed his hand down close to Laxus as he struggled to remain, **"That's right! I'll eat you all!"**

Hisui sighed and walked towards them, "I'm sorry."

Wendy spun around with a warning, "Get back!"

"Princess!" Arcadios shouted.

Hisui ignored them and called to Zilconis, "Hey, you…I'm the one responsible for the construction of the gates. I'm the one that caused a disruption in the flow of your time. You, who lived 400 years in the past, and us, who live in the present, were never meant to have any conflict with each other. The one who made it all spin out of control was I."

Zilconis glared down at her, **"And you are…?"**

"Hisui E. Fiore." the girl told him.

Zilconis started with surprise, **"Hisui?"**

Hisui nodded, "Yes…the same as the color of your body, emerald."

**"The same, huh?" **Zilconis raised a scaly eyebrow.

Hisui smiled, "Yes, the very same."

**"Huh…Emerald Dragon…" **Zilconis muttered scratching his chin in thought, **"Emerald Dragon…it's got a nice ring to it…"**

His body suddenly glowed even brighter and made him freeze. Then Zilconis screeched, **"Ah-Goddammit! Shit, I got tricked!"**

**"You stupid moron!" **Darkbreeze snarled, but they both faded away despite their protests to stay.

Hisui watched them fade with an unreadable expression.

**/**

Motherglare snarled and tried to get up, **"Damned humans…you think you've won?!"**

But then she glowed brighter than ever and also disappeared, leaving Sting, Natsu, and Reyos where the dragon once lay.

Lucy sighed in relief, "They're gone…"

**/**

All over the city, the smaller dragons faded away after Motherglare, leaving the battered, but still living mages to cheer in victory.

But as the large dragons faded, the Dragon Slayers weren't happy.

**/**

Rogue watched Revire and Scissor Runner vanish with narrowed eyes, "The dragons are disappearing…"

"We did it, you guys!" Levy cheered.

But Gajeel tch'd, "Bullshit…"

Levy stared at him, "Huh?" She glanced from him to Rogue, who also looked unhappy.

**/**

Once Gorelogia vanished, Cobra sat down on the ground with a thump and hissed, "This leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Kinana crouched and put a hand on his shoulder, "Why? What's wrong?"

Ur looked from Cobra to where the dragon had once stood and sighed.

**/**

Mavis hovered over the city and frowned with worry, "Not a single Dragon Slayer managed to defeat any of the dragons…Even Motherglare still had fight in her after Sting and Natsu combined their magic..."

**/**

Laxus crossed his arms and snarled, "How pathetic…"

Wendy pouted, "That's all we could do…can we really call ourselves Dragon Slayers after that?"

"That's just how powerful they are, I guess." Laxus muttered, "The worst part is that none of them were even close to Acnologia's strength…"

Mira walked over and offered a smile, "Let's not sulk over that for now. We won. This battle has ended. We protected our comrades."

Laxus nodded and sighed, then grinned back, "You're right."

**/**

Reyos's eye widened as he regained consciousness to find his body glowing.

Natsu noticed him wake up and growled, "You won't destroy us…not in this time, or in the future."

Reyos looked up at him, "That…remains to be seen…Shadows…that's what I am…Even if you've beaten me…my present self is…"

"Didn't your present self combine with you?" Sting asked.

Reyos sighed, "Yes…because of that…I won't fade completely…in fact this body will probably remain…Whether I have the will to keep going or not isn't something I can answer…"

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "You won't kill us. You're done, Reyos. Give up already."

The man closed his eye and murmured, "A year…"

Sting stared at him, "What?"

"A year…make sure you tell Rogue that in one year…he must protect Frosch…" Reyos opened his eye and trapped the brothers with a dark look, "Or Frosch…will die..."

Sting and Natsu stared at him with shock in their eyes, then exchanged uneasy glances.

Reyos closed his eye again, then a body of light identical to him floated out and faded away, but his physical body remained.

The remaining body's eye flashed open with a gasp, then started dissipating to shadow with a weak croak, "I..will not…perish…!"

"Hey, wait-!" Sting and Natsu lunged at him, but the shadows absorbed the defeated figure and vanished completely.

Natsu looked around for him, but couldn't see anything and shook his head, "To hell with him. If I never see him again, I won't lose any sleep over it."

"Yeah…but…" Sting frowned, "That might be it for now…but I don't think that's the last we'll see of him…"

**/**

On the edge of the city in a sheltered, grassy plain, Layla's unmoving body glowed.

The girl frowned, then opened her eyes to a blue sky. She sat up and found herself in a plain of shining golden grass, staring when she found her right arm had returned.

Layla swallowed and glanced around, _"Where am I?"_

She stood and started walking around, then stopped when a hand tapped her shoulder. She froze at the deep voice that murmured, _"Hey…"_

Layla spun and found herself face to face with an older Sting, who smiled at her softly, _"Everyone's waiting, Layla."_

Another person stepped out from behind Sting. Layla's breath caught in her throat.

Lucy took her hand, _"We're all here, sweetie..."_

Layla didn't even register the tears pouring down her face before she threw herself at her mother and father with a cry of joy, embracing them in a fierce hug.

Sting stroked her hair gently, _"We'll stay together from now on…I promise…"_

_"Now come on…the others are ready to continue our adventures."_ Lucy said, then led Sting and Layla towards the figures of their guild, who were waving at them to hurry up.

Natsu, Erza, Gray, Jellal, Wendy, Makarov…everyone was there, waiting for them.

Layla sniffed and wiped her tears away with a laugh, _"Okay!"_

**/**

Lucy watched the journal in her hand fade away. Even though she hadn't read the whole thing, she had come to the realization that the person who had written it wasn't her future self. _Goodbye…But…I'll see you again…I'll see you in a few years when you can grow up in safety and peace…_

Without really thinking about it, Lucy walked up and hugged Sting from behind, feeling tears slip down her face. Sting took her hand and stroked it with his thumb gently, "Are you okay?"

Lucy's voice was muffled by his shirt, "No…I'm not…" She sniffed, then smiled into his neck, "But I will be."

**/**

Jellal and Meredy walked down the destroyed streets, looking around for any sign of their missing comrade.

Meredy finally broke the uneasy silence, "I still don't see Ul…"

"Yeah. It's possible she's injured…" Jellal muttered, "That's something that can't be healed with her Time Magic. By breaking the gates, we've stopped the rifts in time…Reyos and the dragons were sent back to their time. It's quite possible that Layla has vanished as well, but…our memories and collateral damage remain as they were, even though none of this should have happened."

Meredy frowned, "Was time altered too much…to the point that it has become impossible to completely reverse?"

Jellal shrugged, "Perhaps…simply maintaining our memories may be enough. It isn't all clean, either…"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm talking about the Royal Family's use of black magic. If it gets reported to the senate, this could potentially turn into a huge scandal…" he trailed off as a person came into their view. Jellal's eyes narrowed, "Doranbalt…"

"There's something you should probably know..." the man began.

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Meredy gasped, "The senators had their memories erased?!"

Doranbalt nodded, "All those involved…I had their memories altered."

"That's surprising…I didn't think you of all people would…" Jellal murmured, "Was it worth all the trouble?"

"Infiltration with Memory Magic is my job after all." Doranbalt shrugged, "Eclipse is one of Zeref's magics according to his book. It would be more than a disaster if anyone found out that the Royal Family dabbled in such affairs. A loss of the citizen's trust could lead to the entire system collapsing. I don't want to relocate either. It's important even for uptight senators to turn a blind eye at times."

Jellal stared at him, "And you managed to convince Lahar of this train of thought?"

The man grinned, "Nah…I altered his memories a little. That guy's gonna reach some high places…I can't sully his name by getting him involved with things like this."

"How'd someone like you get into the senate?" Meredy asked.

"That's classified information." Doranbalt said, then changed the subject, "You're not just standing here enjoying the view…are you looking for Ultear?"

Jellal nodded, "She isn't the type to go off without a word to anyone else…What about Cobra? You didn't just let him go, did you?"

Doranbalt nodded, "I put my team on the case…?" He put two fingers to his forehead for a moment, apparently answering a telepathic call. After a moment, he stopped and glanced at the Crime Sorciere mages, "Speak of the devil. My guys found him. I've gotta go, so good luck with Ultear. And Jellal?"

"What?" he asked.

The council man gave him a stern look, "Consider this a favor. Troublesome things aren't my forte, so we never met. Got it?"

Jellal nodded, "I appreciate that."

So Doranbalt teleported away, leaving Jellal and Meredy to search again for Ultear.

**/**

Cobra was sitting on the remains of a destroyed building with Kinana, Ur, and Laki around him.

Kinana seemed to be worried about his injuries, though Laki was trying to make her calm down. Cobra said nothing about it, while Ur surveyed the destroyed city with a frown.

The Wizard Saint shook her head, "To think that it took just seven dragons to cause all this damage…"

Cobra grunted, "I never thought I'd fail at beating just one…that's goddamn sad…"

"The important thing is that you're okay." Kinana murmured, "It could have been worse, Erik. You know it could have been."

"Don't call me that in front of other people!" Cobra growled, "That's my personal name! My code name is Cobra! Use that instead!"

Laki sighed, "So stubborn."

"I can hear you." Cobra muttered.

Ur glanced at them, "Enough. The important thing is that everyone is safe. There's nothing more to it."

"Unfortunately, Ms. Wizard Saint, that's incorrect." the Poison Dragon sighed.

She frowned, "What do you mean."

Cobra sighed and pointed, "I can hear them…"

As he said that, a group of soldiers walked into view.

Kinana's eyes widened, "You should probably get out of here…they'll take you back to-"

"I know." Cobra said, "I told them I'd come back."

"Huh?" she squeaked.

Doranbalt teleported and appeared at the head of the group. He looked up the destroyed building to where Cobra sat, "Well? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Cobra grunted and stood up.

Kinana grabbed his arm, "H-hey! You can't really…but they let you out to fight! Can't they just let you go for this?!"

Ur put a hand on her shoulder, "Kinana, stop. This is his choice."

Cobra nodded, "Relax. I get the feeling that I'll see you guys again…" He walked down the destroyed building and stopped in front of Doranbalt, who put handcuffs on him.

The council man seemed surprised, "Despite being an outlaw, you're keeping your promise?"

"The outside felt real good…I heard lots of voices. Even Cubelios…" he smiled as he said the name, then sneered at Doranbalt, "Now I'm back like a pair of goody two shoes." _I've got to get the rest of Oracion Seis out..._

Ur called after him, "What did you hear?"

Cobra grinned, "Right…you should probably know about it too…" He flashed a warning look at the Fairy Tail mages, "The gates of the Underworld are about to open…Until then…" Cobra turned his glare to Doranbalt, "Don't even think about trying to fuck with my memories."

Doranbalt's eyes flashed with unease, but he nodded.

As Cobra turned to walk away with the council soldiers, he glanced back at Kinana and grinned reassuringly, "I'll be back."

Kinana smiled, "See you!"

And then they were gone.


	64. The Great Banquet

**Sorry I was gone for so long! After the cruise, I was still having too much fun to focus on writing XD. Anyways, I'll wrap up the Rising Dragon Champions in the next chapter and work on Dragonearth soon as well. **

**Got a good name for the sequel to this story? Arc ideas? Review and tell me! I've already got an arc planned up, but I think its always better when the readers add a personal touch to the story! **

**As always, thanks for reading!**

_Chapter 64: The Great Banquet_

"U-umm…" Yukino swallowed nervously, "Do I really have to wear such a fancy dress?" The dress in question was a light green with a white collar and cuffs. Yukino also had a white rose in her hair.

Mira clapped her hands, "You look gorgeous!"

Lucy giggled, "Rogue's one lucky guy!"

Yukino went red and stammered, "H-hey!"

"Don't worry, Yukino." Levy came up with a mischievous smile, "We'll get her back when Sting sees her, right?"

"Got it!" she laughed back.

**/**

It had been several days since the Grand Magic Games had ended, and the city of Crocas was back to normal for the most part. A few buildings were still damaged from the dragon assault, but repairs were going well, and the citizens had mostly dismissed the rumors of dragons as just that. But the talk of the town was the huge banquet being held at Mercurius, where the King was holding a celebration for the Grand Magic Games.

And the mages at the party were having a great time.

Lucy and the other girls walked in wearing beautiful dresses that were perfectly suited for the occasion. Men were drooling as the Fairy Tail girls went by. Lucy gasped at the sight of the castle's dining hall swarming with mages, "Wow! This is awesome!"

"Oh, the girls are finally here!" Elfman exclaimed and waved them over towards where the Fairy Tail guys were at.

Erza picked up a glass of wine, then froze as she saw something…out of place.

Gray had also noticed, and confronted the man…who had a mask on the lower half of his face with a sigh, "That doesn't look good at a party."

"Well, at least I'm wearing clothes." Jellal muttered, gesturing to Gray's distinct lack of clothing. Jellal had a black suit similar to the other guys, but he still kept the camouflage mask on his face.

Erza strode up with a nervous expression, "H-hello…What are you doing here?"

Jellal shrugged, "Just visiting…I thought I might see how everyone was. I haven't gotten the chance to make certain that everyone was alright after the dragon assault..."

"Have you seen Ultear?" Ur walked over with a worried look.

He shook his head, "No. That was part of the reason I came here. I wondered if any of you had seen her-?" Jellal paused and stared at something a short distance away.

**/**

Zancrow, adorned in a black suit, was seated at a table, leaning back with his arms around a couple of girls from Blue Pegasus. They had their hands running over his arms and chest, occasionally placing a kiss on his cheek or lips. He took it in stride, sipping his drink with a faint smile on his face.

"It's really not hard to find you."

He glanced away from the Blue Pegasus girls to see Meredy standing in a pink dress, hands on her hips while she smirked at him.

Zancrow kept a straight face for a few seconds, then lost and grinned. He pulled his arms away from the girls and chuckled at her, "Meredy. When did you get here?"

"I got here before you did." She answered, "And I know that because I couldn't smell trouble when I arrived earlier." Meredy's smirk hid away all but the faintest trace of what might have been jealousy, "So, if a Dragon Slayer can only have one partner, then a God Slayer can't have too many?"

"Something like that." Zancrow laughed while the Blue Pegasus girls clung to him, "You should see Orga when he hits a club. He's a hundred times worse than me, but he only gets half as lucky as I do."

Meredy's eyes flashed with mischief, "I'm not sure you should tell _me _that. Remember, I can make you feel pain in places you never thought was possible. Better be careful, hothead."

Zancrow's eyebrows rose, then he glanced at the Blue Pegasus girls with a sigh, "Excuse me, ladies." He got up and walked over to Meredy, putting his hands in his pockets as he did so, "You know, I didn't really get to talk with you after you helped me on the second day. So, out of sheer curiosity, are you the kind of girl that plays hard to get? The kind that acts tough and falls apart once the heat becomes too much for you?"

"I'm the girl who'll give you a run for your money no matter which way you come at me." she challenged, then turned away with a confident smirk over her shoulder, "If you think you're up to it, better come and get me a drink. Hothead."

He watched her take a few steps away, then rolled his eyes and followed her, the Blue Pegasus girls all but forgotten. Not that the girls cared, since they'd latched onto Eve instead.

**/**

Erza smiled, "I think you'll have a hard time getting Meredy out of here. Why don't you stay for a while?"

Jellal snorted with laughter, "Sure. Why not?"

"Ah, there you are."

Jura came over with Bacchus and Lyon. He nodded respectfully at the Fairy Tail mages and Jellal, "The King's really gone the extra mile with this celebration."

"Who would've thought that he'd invite all of us roughnecks into his castle, eh?" Bacchus laughed, then spotted Cana and grinned, "Hey, let's have another contest, okay?!"

Cana cackled wildly, "You got it!"

"Wild!" the Quatro Cerberus mages yelled.

While they went looking for the booze, Kagura and the Mermaid Heel mages walked to Erza and Jellal.

Kagura looked embarrassed, "This dress doesn't suit me…"

"Nonsense!" Arania chastised, "It fits you perfectly!"

Beth gasped, "Kagura, you look so pretty!"

"She's going to give us a run for our money, eh?" Risley laughed.

Milianna still looked down and said nothing.

Kagura stopped at the sight of Erza and the masked man, though she knew instantly it was Jellal.

Erza smiled at her, "How are your wounds, Kagura?"

"I could ask you that." she said slowly, flashing a glance at Jellal, who dipped his head respectfully.

"I know a lot has happened, but it would mean a great deal if we could be friends." Erza offered, "We are from the same town and-"

"I refuse." Kagura interrupted, but she looked nervous, "I'd prefer it if…if you could by my…big sister…"

Erza stared at her for about two seconds.

She hugged Kagura tightly, "You're just way too adorable!"

Kagura protested, "H-hey! It was a joke!"

Her friends laughed while Risley chuckled, "She's just a kid at heart, after all."

Milianna was looking at Jellal with a pout. He faced her with a shifty disposition, not sure what he could do to change her glum face.

By chance, Erza had the answer.

She caught the uneasy exchange between her friend and Jellal and sighed, "You leave me no choice."

Erza reached into her dress and pulled out…Happy.

The blue exceed smiled and cheered, "Super strong, right?"

Milianna gasped, "Kitty!" Then she hesitated and tried to ignore it.

But Erza wasn't done. She reached in her dress again and pulled out Charle and Lily with a smile, "There's more."

Milianna stared at the cats with a desperate look, trying not to give in so easily. But when Erza pulled out Frosch in a frog costume, she couldn't hold back anymore and squealed, "So many kitties! Nyaa!"

Erza laughed as the girl hugged the exceeds happily, "Works every time."

"Where were you keeping these?" Jellal asked incredulously, pulling out Lector by the tail from Erza's dress. Kagura seemed appalled by his actions, but Jellal didn't notice and frowned, "Hey, where are Sting and Natsu? Actually…where are all the Dragon Slayers?"

Kagura noticed too that none of the Dragon Slayers were in the crowd, "Now that you mention it…"

Erza glanced at Happy, who was having his face squeezed by Milianna, "Happy, where're Natsu and the others?"

"I don't know." he said with slight pain as Milianna pulled on his cheeks.

Jellal crossed his arms, "For them to not show up…did something happen?"

**/**

Bixlow looked around uneasily, "Where the heck is Laxus?"

"It's so unlike him…" Evergreen murmured, "He never goes anywhere without telling us."

Freed tapped his foot anxiously, "I suppose he's got his reasons…"

Chelia came over to them with a frown, "Hey have you guys seen Wendy?"

"We can't find her anywhere." Romeo added.

Evergreen raised an eyebrow, "Her too? That's unusual…"

"Too? What do you mean?" Mira heard them and walked over.

"Laxus isn't here." Freed muttered, "As far as I can tell, there isn't a single Dragon Slayer at this party."

**/**

Lucy glanced around the dining room with a pout. She finally shook her head and went back to a group of girls, "I can't find Sting anywhere."

"You're awfully anxious for him to see you in that dress, aren't you, Lucy?" Levy giggled.

But Lucy knew her game and smiled back mischievously, "Just like how you want Gajeel to see, right?"

Levy blushed, "Lucy!"

Yukino frowned, "I can't find Rogue, either…Where are they?"

Jenny shrugged, "Beats me…I haven't seen a single Dragon Slayer since I walked in here…"

Lisanna clasped her hands, "I hope nothing's happened…"

"Lucy!"

The Spirit Mage looked over as Hisui walked to her with a smile, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes, thank you!"

Hisui gasped, "That reminds me, you're part of the Heartfilia Konzern, right?"

"Ahaha…that was a long time ago…" Lucy said.

"I was friends with your father." the princess told her, "Even though I was under his care for quite some time…I've brought you nothing but trouble."

Lucy laughed, "No worries! I'm a mage at a guild, so trouble is my middle name!"

Hisui beamed and glanced around, "That reminds me, where's the young man with spiky blonde hair?"

At that, Lucy frowned, "That's a good question…do you know where the Dragon Slayers are?"

The princess shook her head, "No, I don't. Was there a problem?"

"Maybe…" Lucy sighed, "They haven't been arrested for doing something stupid, have they?"

"Not to my knowledge." Hisui said slowly, "Should I go ask security?"

Lucy waved her hand, "No, no. Thank you, I'm just sure they're probably fighting each other outside. Better out there than in here, but I'm more worried since even Wendy didn't come…"

"I see…" Hisui frowned, then smiled, "Well, I can't leave things like this. Let's go search for them, shall we?"

"Okay." Lucy murmured, then walked off in one direction while Hisui looked around in another.

**/**

If one wanted to find the Dragon Slayers, one would have to be sitting on top of Mercurius. They sat together in utter silence, avoiding each other's faces in the cool night air.

Gajeel finally broke the silence, "Geez…what a bother…"

"I can't believe we didn't beat a single dragon…" Laxus muttered.

Sting nodded, "Even though we used Unison Raids and our Dual-Element Dragon Magic…"

Natsu growled uneasily, "How is that possible? We're at the top of the mages in this city…yet we couldn't defeat even one dragon?"

"They weren't even close to Acnologia's level, either." Rogue said, "All of those dragons would have been mincemeat for that black beast."

"People could have been killed because of our incompetence…How can we call ourselves Dragon Slayers after that?" Wendy sniffed, "I can't even bring myself to go to the party…Are we really that weak?"

Nobody answered her question.

Laxus sighed, "And here I was thinking that being at the same level as Ur and Jura would mean certain victory…but even with Wendy's Support Magic, that wasn't enough."

"We've got to get stronger." Wendy said, "If the Dragon Slayers from 400 years ago could have given the dragons as much trouble as they did, then we aren't even close to their level."

Rogue grunted agreement, "So what do we do about it?"

"What we always do." Natsu said as he stood up, "We get stronger, but we're gonna have to give tenfold what we've been giving, so we don't lose to a dragon again. We were lucky no one was killed."

Gajeel dipped his head, "They almost were. That was way, way too close."

Sting patted his shoulder, "The important thing is that everyone made it out of this alive. It's all we can do now to make sure it doesn't happen again. Next time, we'll be ready."

"Who's to say there'll be a next time?" Laxus remarked, "Are there any other dragons aside from Acnologia in this time? I don't think we'll have another battle like this one again."

Natsu shrugged, "Who knows. If Igneel, Grandine, and Metalicana are out there, I'm sure there are other dragons as well. They must be hiding somewhere…maybe from Acnologia, maybe from Zeref…"

"Maybe from us." Rogue said suddenly, "If the Dragon Slayers from 400 years ago betrayed the dragons, who's to say they aren't wary we might betray them as well? Especially after what happened to Skyadrum and Vicelogia."

Wendy gulped, "I didn't think about that."

"Now isn't the time to think about it."

The Dragon Slayers froze as Mavis appeared above them with a gentle look, "A great battle was fought and won here a short time ago. I know you aren't happy with how it ended, but remember to relax in between these clashes. A lifetime of war is probably part of what turned Acnologia into the monster he is now. Peace, however brief, is something you must treasure."

Laxus snorted, "That's easier said than done, First. You didn't just have your butt whooped by dragons when we're supposed to be their kryptonite…"

Mavis smiled, "Defeat isn't such a bad thing. It's an opportunity for you to learn. At least you found out just how strong a dragon can be. Now you know what you're up against, so that's enough of being gloomy." Her expression became mischievous, "I seem to recall several beautiful girls awaiting you in the castle and a certain Romeo looking for Wendy. It'd be rude to keep them waiting."

To her delight, she was rewarded with the rather uncomfortable expressions of six Dragon Slayers.

Natsu decided she was probably right and grinned, "Alright guys, let's go crash a party."

**/**

Lucy was relieved when Sting walked into the room with the rest of the Dragon Slayers. She strode up and faced him with a slight frown, "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you guys…"

Sting shrugged, "The First Master just gave us a pep talk…sort of. Nothing special. So, what'd we miss?"

She could tell that he just wanted to change the subject, but decided whatever had happened could wait until later. Lucy put on a smile and chirped, "Not much. Mostly, we all just tried to find out where you were."

"Sorry we kept you waiting so long." he apologized, then grinned, "You look great, by the way."

Lucy beamed, "Why, thank you!"

"There they are!"

Hisui came up with the rest of the search party and sighed, "Do you Dragon Slayers always make things so difficult?"

"It's a talent we've been honing all our lives." Rogue said with a smirk.

Gajeel grinned, "Gee-hee. Have to agree with that. Oi, where's Lily and the Shrimp?"

Hisui pointed towards where Levy was attempting to free Lily from Milianna's clutches and Gajeel took off towards them.

Natsu was glancing around when someone covered his eyes from behind and asked with a laugh, "Guess who?"

He smirked and pretended he didn't already know, "Erza? No, these hands are too soft…hmm…Mira? Nah, it doesn't feel like there's a demon breathing down my neck…Couldn't be Wendy, she can't even reach my eyes…I give up. Surprise me."

The hands uncovered his eyes and instead wrapped around his chest. Lisanna's voice was brimming with amusement, "Silly. Like you even have to ask."

Natsu turned to hug her, but froze halfway. His eyes widened, "Uh-oh."

Lisanna frowned, "Uh-oh, what?"

"Uh-oh THAT." Natsu muttered, nodding to the place he was staring at.

She glanced at the object of interest and paled, "Uh-oh."

**/**

Their reason for concern was Rogue. Or more importantly, his soon-to-be victims.

Rogue kept looking for Yukino until he spotted her in a place that he most certainly did not like. She was currently surrounded by the Trimens, who apparently had had too much to drink. Rogue's eyes flashed a dangerous shade of crimson.

_Strike three, you bastards._

**/**

Yukino was not particularly comfortable. Eve kept trying to take her hand while Hibiki and Ren were using each of her shoulders as an armrest. Her protests were, for the most part, ignored, "H-hey, guys, do you mind? Seriously, back off a little!"

"Beautiful." Hibiki muttered.

"Stylish." Ren continued.

"Sexy-ugh!" Eve was cut off as a fist slammed into his jaw and sent him flying away.

Rogue exploded out of the shadows and also punched Hibiki and Ren into the crowd, conveniently hitting the Guildmasters Bob, Goldmine, and Oobaba.

Yukino's hand clasped over her mouth, "Rogue! Thanks, but wasn't that a little-"

"-if you were about to say overkill, then no, it was not." Rogue hissed, "I don't care how drunk they are, they knew what would happen if they tried to make a move on you."

"All right, settle down." she chastised, bringing him into a hug, but the moment of peace didn't last.

**"MAKAROV!"**

Everyone in the room froze as Oobaba yelled, "Your brat threw someone weak at me!"

Makarov, thoroughly drunk by now, chuckled, "That's the way things are at the top, Oobaba. But of course, only Fairy Tail knows what that's like."

While the crowd started roaring at him, Yukino blanched, "Rogue, I think you just started a world war."

"Well, do you want to just stand by and watch it unfold?" he asked.

Yukino opened her mouth to reply, but then Lyon threw Elfman at them, bowling over Rogue and then Natsu as the big man kept flying.

Natsu tossed Elfman away and leaped back to his feet with a blaze of fire, "Hey, ice freak, what was that for?!"

"It's not my fault you're too slow to get out of my way!" Lyon shot back as the air around him turned misty with cold.

"The both of you are too damn bothersome!" Rogue snarled, shadows licking over his body.

"Who the hell is starting a fight without me?!" Gajeel demanded, ignoring Levy's pleas to stop.

"Your mother, metal face!" Gray yelled in annoyance while Juvia oogled over him.

Sting rolled his eyes from Lucy's side, "You guys are ruining the mood! Shut up!."

"Why don't _you _clam up instead, you punk-ass flashlight!" Zancrow challenged.

The White Dragon spun towards the Flame God, eyes blazing, "All right, you womanizing smartass, get over here and MAKE me!"

"Payback, Makarov." Goldmine chuckled.

"Spin." Oobaba said menacingly.

"This really brings me back." Bob smiled darkly.

Makarov grinned, "Bring it on!"

The whole dining hall went straight to chaos.

**/**

Lucy, Yukino, and Wendy immediately got to the edge of the nightmarish brawl.

Wendy sighed, "Every time…"

"Better them than us." Yukino pointed out.

Lucy watched as Jellal and Laxus got into a fistfight, then Erza, Mira, and Kagura started pulling at each other's hair. The Spirit Mage sweated nervously, "I don't think being out of the fighting will keep us safe for long."

Luckily, there was a savior.

Arcadios slammed a staff down from the podium above the room and shouted, "Enough! His Majesty has arrived!"

The room paused mid-fight.

The White Knight went on, "For your bravery in the Grand Magic Games and for saving the country from mortal danger, his Majesty has come here in person. Let that sink into your very hearts."

Asuka looked excited, "The King!"

"Shh." Bisca quieted her.

The crowd saw a shadow coming out of the podium, but it wasn't quite what they were expecting.

Sting and Natsu came out in a brawl, Natsu with the Royal Crown on his head while Sting had the King's cape on his body. They were fighting over the Royal Staff, growling in anger as the real King and Minister Darton tried to stop them.

"BITCH, GIMME THAT!"

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE, YOU BASTARD!"

Every jaw in the room hit the floor. The Fairy Tail mages also face palmed simultaneously.

Arcadios looked furious, "Garou Knights…get them."

The leader sighed nervously, "Sir, we couldn't even handle one of them…two is utterly impossible…"

Erza was trying not to smile, "Crossing the line as usual…"

"What line?" Lisanna laughed, "I don't think there ever was a line for those two."

"Or Gajeel." Levy sighed as Black Steel leaped up to the podium and also started fighting for the Royal Staff.

Lucy smiled up at the fighting Dragon Slayers fondly, "Well, I guess that's why we love them, huh?"


	65. Cliffhanger

**And...we've finally reached the conclusion of the Rising Dragon Champions...**

**But this isn't the end! This chapter is called "Cliffhanger" for a reason! The story will continue in a third installment, starting with an arc that is 100% original! **

**In addition, for the moment, I have deleted the Side Stories, but don't worry! I'll bring them back when I sort them out better. I felt they were kind of scattered, so once I write a bit more, I'll repost those again :)**

**I have so much to thank you guys for...reading my stories, giving such good reviews, supporting me all the way through my annoying bouts of writer's block...Without all of you, I wouldn't be writing this. **

**I could write out more of a typical, long thank-you speech, but I think I'll just settle for this:**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN WHEN THE SEQUEL COMES OUT!- darkfire1220**

_Chapter 65: Cliffhanger_

When Fairy Tail arrived in Magnolia, they were greeted by a cheering crowd of people, most of whom probably weren't even native to the city. Even Twilight Ogre was cheerful. The revived guild was getting a taste of the old respect they once held seven years earlier, and it was oh-so sweet.

"Welcome back!"

"Congratulations on your victory, everyone!"

"Give Fairy Tail a big round of applause!"

Sting and Natsu were at the head, pumping their fists while Happy and Lector cheered alongside them.

"Hell yeah!" The White Dragon bellowed.

"We're home, everyone!" The Salamander roared.

"Aye, sir!" Their exceed chanted.

Lucy shook her head in amusement while Lisanna laughed, "Those brothers…some things never change!"

Gajeel grinned, "We're top dog now, bitches!"

Lily was amazed, "Impressive…"

Rogue whistled, "There really are a lot of people…"

"I bet most of them aren't even from Magnolia." Erza remarked.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch squealed.

"Let's have a celebratory drink!" Cana yelled.

Laxus sighed, "You really need to cut back on the alcohol, Cana…"

"Loosen up a bit, Laxus." Mira giggled, "I think we've earned a little celebration, don't you think?"

He shrugged, "I guess…but surely this is over the top?"

_"Laxus! Your fight with Alexei was amazing!"_

_"No, his MPF was just as great!"_

_"He can't compete with Ur! No one could top Fairy Aurora!"_

_"I think Sting and Rogue were the best! They OWNED Sabertooth!"_

_"Hey, don't discount Natsu and Gajeel! They ripped up Sabertooth and Raven Tail just as much!"_

_"You're all stupid! Erza's Pandemonium sweep was the most incredible thing, EVER!"_

_"Or how Mira went at it against Minerva! THAT was freakin' awesome!"_

_"Mira, wanna go on a date?!"_

Laxus whipped his head in the direction of the yell and demanded, "Who the hell said that?"

Mira scratched her head in embarrassment, "Well, I guess everyone's famous now, huh?"

Gray only seemed to be half-paying attention to the crowd. His face looked solemn and pensive.

Juvia was staring at him with worry, but Ur nudged her and smiled, "Let him be. He's got some things on his mind, but that's no reason for you to be depressed."

The Rain Woman blinked them smiled back, "Juvia knows you're right…she just wonders what's bothering Gray…he's been awfully quiet lately…"

Ur knew he was wondering where Ultear was, and she was also very worried about her daughter, but Jellal and Meredy were on the case, so she decided to put her feelings aside for the moment. _But the instant this party ends, I'm going looking for her as well..._

At the head of the guild, Natsu pulled out a large sack and rummaged through it, "Lemme show all of you something to feast your eyes on!" He held up the Royal Crown and grinned, "Tadah!"

Wendy paled, "Y-you stole the Royal Crown?!"

"Bastard, that's mine!" Sting yanked it away from Natsu and hid it away in his shirt.

"Oh, right." Natsu muttered and started going through the bag again.

Wendy looked like she wanted to cry, "You did steal it…"

Lisanna shook her head, "I'm pretty sure all Dragon Slayers eventually get hoarding tendencies…have you been to their old house before? They collect ANYTHING. Must be a dragon instinct."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up, "I'm not getting arrested for having a stolen Royal Crown in my house!"

"Oh yeah, Sting lives with you now, doesn't he?" Yukino giggled.

Lucy's cheek puffed up, "If I get fined for that, then he's paying too!"

"You also need to pay for rent!" her landlady called from the crowd.

She sighed, "He also pays for half the rent."

Erza smiled, "That's a plus, at least."

"Here it is!" Natsu shouted and held up a huge, gold trophy with a roar, "The Royal Trophy is our proof of victory!"

The crowd cheered wildly as he put Romeo on his shoulders and held the trophy up even higher.

The Mayor walked up and cleared his throat, "Ahem…Members of Fairy Tail! Please, cast your eyes onto this!"

Fairy Tail froze in place and stared up in delight.

The guild was rebuilt, refurnished, and all around, reconstructed from the worn-down building the Tenrou Team had come home to.

"Fairy Tail is the pride of our city." the Mayor smiled, "For that, we have contributed to the reconstruction of your guild."

Natsu and Sting cheered, "Our guild's been fixed!"

"YAY!" Happy and Lector squealed.

Makarov was crying, "Mayor…how can I repay you…?"

He shook his head, "No need. Everyone from our city pitched in and helped rebuild it."

The Master couldn't stop his cry of joy, "I LOVE THIS CITY!"

**/**

On a building overlooking the parading mages, the small, dark creature who had once accompanied Obra watched Fairy Tail enter their new guild.

"Kihihihi…" it chittered, then scurried away.

**/**

Wendy froze in place as she stepped into the guild, feeling a horribly familiar dark aura prick the edge of her senses. Her eyes went wide and she cringed. _It can't be…don't tell me it's here?!_

"Wendy, is something wrong?"

She blinked as Romeo walked over with a questioning look.

Wendy gulped and looked away, "N-nothing…Sorry, I must've imagined it…"

He frowned and surprised the Sky Sorceress by taking her hand. Romeo grinned, "I dunno what's bothering you, but relax, Wendy! We're finally back home in the old guild! Let's celebrate!"

"H-huh?" she managed.

Romeo motioned towards the others, "Come on! We should join them! It wouldn't be a party without everyone there!"

Wendy stared at him, then nodded, "Yeah…you're right…" Her face reddened slightly, "Y-you can let go of my hand now…"

He tilted his head, then Romeo also went a faint scarlet and let go of her hand with a stammer, "Oh! Yeah…uh, sorry."

"It's okay…" she murmured. _Even though it was kind of nice…I almost...Oh, I must be crazy!_

Wendy suddenly hugged Romeo and muttered quickly, "Thank you,. I-I'm fine, now. Let's go to everyone else, okay?"

Romeo was very surprised, but he grinned and nodded, "Sure!"

**/**

Natsu watched Romeo and Wendy with a faint smile.

"Feeling nostalgic?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Erza, who also watched the two with a soft look, "They remind me of two certain kids who later proved to have a deep affection for each other."

Natsu grinned, "I guess so."

But Erza's smile faded some, "I hope they do not have to experience the same pain you and Lisanna went through…Reyos cut deep wounds into the hearts of the Dragon Slayers and those close to them. Children like Wendy and Romeo do not need to know such pain."

The Salamander shook his head, "I won't let that happen. I want them to play and enjoy being kids for as long as they can."

"It may be too late for that." she warned, "Romeo went through seven years of emptiness, and Wendy has already had a taste of what war is. If not for their strong hearts, they would already have lost what innocence remains within them."

"They'll be fine." Lisanna walked up and hugged Natsu from behind, murmuring into his neck, "We'll just have to make sure they never go through the pain we did. Let them play peacefully for as long as they can…"

"Yeah." Natsu agreed, reaching up to clasp her hand gently.

**/**

"So, Reyos isn't dead?" Elfman muttered as he sat down at a new table.

Rogue shook his head, "That's what Sting told me. His future self is gone, but the old Reyos we know is still prowling in the shadows…"

Yukino rubbed her arms nervously, "I hope he's too exhausted to pull off an attack like that ever again…"

"I hope the bastard dies of his wounds." Bixlow grunted, "Hell must be looking forward to him."

Evergreen frowned, "I'm not sure anyone really deserves to die…Even though he did horrible things, didn't he tell Sting and Natsu something useful? At least we know to look out for Frosch in one year's time."

Rogue glanced at his partner, who was dancing with the other exceeds. He murmured quietly, "At least one good thing came out of him…"

"Maybe it won't be the last." Yukino shrugged hopefully, "Now that the Dragon King Festival is over, maybe he'll give up and be nice."

"And maybe Happy will become an S-Class monster that gives even Erza the chills." Freed said sarcastically, "That's about as crazy as Reyos becoming a force for justice."

While the Thunder God Tribe muttered agreement, Rogue kept his eyes on Frosch. Yukino watched his look of concern for a while, then leaned over and hugged him with a murmur, "She'll be fine. We'll keep her safe. I promise."

Rogue nodded, "I know.

**/**

Gajeel was relaxing at a table on the second floor of the guild, chewing on a steak knife half interestedly. He grunted now and then, as though he was having trouble deciding on something.

"Hi."

He paused mid-bite as Levy came up and sat down next to him, watching his face with concern, "Is something the matter?"

Gajeel pulled the surprisingly still intact knife from his mouth and pointed it at her, "You, shrimp."

"Ah." Levy said, not sounding surprised at all as she moved his hand so the knife pointed away from her. She stared at him curiously, "And what about me is bothering you?"

"Are you just going to pretend you didn't tell me that stuff on the fifth day?" he demanded, "That you almost died right in front of me just a few days ago?"

The bluenette sighed, "I'm not pretending it didn't happen. I'm just trying to focus on the here and now. That's one thing I've always noticed about you…you get stuck on things that have already happened. When are you going to let the past go and move forward?"

Gajeel shrugged, "I am. I'm just…moving at my own pace, I guess. I don't know what I should do now."

"Could I help you decide?" Levy asked shyly.

He glanced at her with a studded eyebrow raised, "Depends."

Levy shook her head, "You're not making regulations. That's not something the Gajeel I know does. You're too wild for rules and stuff like that. It doesn't suit you."

Gajeel cracked a smile, "Thanks, shorty."

"If you're gonna thank me for something, thank me for this." Levy murmured, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. She then walked off, leaving the Iron Dragon frozen and dumbfounded.

Once Gajeel recovered, he slowly turned and stared after her_…Okay, you're NOT getting off the hook for that easily, Levy!_

Levy, on the other hand, was covering her mouth in a state of shock. _I have no idea how I got the nerve to do that, but oh man, what's he going to do to me now?! _

**/**

Sting was at the bar with Lucy, taking a drink from a glass of water while the others partied behind them. The air between them was quiet though, and uncertain.

Lucy finally broke the silence, "So…you found out who the Future 'Me' really was, right?"

Sting nodded, "Yeah…"

She dipped her head, "Her death wasn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself."

"It was my fault." he said bitterly, "I was stronger than that. I could've taken that knife and survived. Isn't that what a parent does?"

Lucy took his hand and clasped it tightly. She leaned over and whispered into his ear, "If you had died, she would never be born…At least now she isn't in pain."

Sting sighed, "That isn't much for comfort…"

"Then how about this?" Lucy murmured, "This time, she'll grow up with both her parents watching over her, okay?"

He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, but Lucy cut him off before he could start, "And I'm not going to go through with _that _for a few years yet, mister!"

Sting laughed, "Can't blame me for trying."

Lucy smacked him playfully on the shoulder, "Animal!"

The White Dragon grinned and dragged her to the other partygoers, "Come on!"

Lucy smiled and followed him. _Even though we won't see you for a few years, you'll always be in our hearts, Layla. We'll be waiting for you to come back!_

**/\/\/\/\/\**

Fairy Tail partied and celebrated with the rest of Magnolia until the sky was dark. When the clock hit midnight, Makarov jumped up onto the second floor railing and shouted, "All of you, shaddup!"

The guild went silent and looked up at him expectantly. Makarov cleared his throat and smiled down on all of them, "I would like to thank all of you for your performance at the Grand Magic Games. Without the strength, bravery, and leadership of our mages, we wouldn't be here right now. I call for a toast to the mages who fought on our behalf!"

He raised his mug, and the rest of the guild responded in kind. Makarov lowered his drink and nodded to himself a few times before grunting, "I have so much to thank all of you for. Without you, I'd have nothing. You're my friends…"

The Magnolia natives smiled back at him.

"My family…"

Laxus glanced up at his grandfather with a grin, while Mira and the Thunder God Tribe sat close by.

"My loved ones…"

At this, all the Fairy Tail mages raised their hands in the trademark gesture of pointing skyward. Makarov returned the gesture and coughed, possibly trying to hide the fact that he was about to cry with happiness, "And from here on, I'll be sure to treasure every single moment I spend with you all. There is nothing that could ever replace that time. We're back at the top, everyone..."

The room cheered, but the Master wasn't done. His voice became tinged with seriousness, "But that doesn't mean we can just stop and bask in that glory. Yes, we have risen to champions, but there's a whole world out there. There will be more battles, more suffering, more heartbreak. Such is life. Which is why it is now we should remember our guild's name. Fairy Tail…Do fairies have tails? No one knows, just like we cannot truly know our destinies until the moment we leave this world. But no matter how difficult things become, I know each and every one of you will fight with all your hearts. Should even Acnologia appear once more, we will stand tall."

Sting and Natsu exchanged glances, as did Gajeel and Rogue. Wendy hugged Charle a little tighter, while Laxus's eyes narrowed briefly.

"No matter what darkness tries to bury the light in our souls, we will fight back." Makarov said determinedly, "And I will always watch over you all forever."

**/**

The dark creature scurried away from Magnolia into the thick woods, where it climbed onto the shoulder of a man who sat cross-legged on the ground.

Zeref.

As the Dark Mage simply took in the surroundings, Mavis floated down and murmured, "I knew you were watching the tournament."

"I knew you would come, Mavis…" Zeref whispered.

Mavis watched the man's back and spoke seriously, "Seven years ago, you were close to me…"

Zeref smiled, "So I was…"

"Are you still searching for a place to die?" she asked.

"I've already decided on where I'm going to die." he remarked, "I've lived for many centuries and watched the rise and fall of different ages…People hate and evil causes conflict…But I'm looking forward to a new age that will purify all of this."

Zeref sighed, "How many times has this happened…Where people make the same mistakes over and over again…?"

Mavis blinked, "Even so, humans will continue to live on."

"I'm not certain humans are even living anymore…not really." Zeref muttered as he stood up, "Mavis, I'm no longer the existence you can love…known as man."

Mavis's eyes were filled with sadness, "You've decided…to stop waiting?"

"The Dragon King Festival in Crocus was the final straw. The echoes of that battle have spread across the world. It has disturbed the ancient monsters who once slumbered…After mulling it over for seven years, I've reached a conclusion." he said blankly, "If this world continues to reject me, then I shall reject the world."

She frowned, "Fairy Tail will reaffirm the world."

Zeref snorted, "Even your guild cannot fight this. This will be a gift from me…I shall rebalance and allow this world to resurrect."

Mavis stared at him with worry, "Will this become another war?"

Zeref's eyes were briefly covered by his black hair, then he whispered with lethal softness, _"No…"_

**_"It will be a one-sided massacre…Not a single soul shall be spared my wrath…"_**

Mavis's gaze went from worry to a dark anger, her voice menacing, **_"Fairy Tail will stop you…The only one who will be massacred…is you…"_**

They stared at each other as the wind picked up and Zeref's magic killed all life around them, save the demon who was looking around with confusion.

Zeref smiled to himself.

_Natsu…Sting…the Dragon Slayers…the time of our fated showdown…it draws near..._


End file.
